Night Hunt (A Mash-up)
by Lone-wolf916
Summary: This is the sequel to Blood Hunt. It includes romance, betrayal, action, vampires and werewolves. Based of the books by L.L. Raand.
1. Chapter 1

Okay guys here is the next book I hope you enjoy. And btw I will hold polls after this series is complete to see what book series I should do next, I got a lot of really good suggestions and I want to see which one you guys want me to do first. Enjoy :)

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Just before sunrise, Alex pulled Bo beneath her and pressed her mouth to Bo's neck. "I hunger."

Bo arched her back and gave her throat to her Packmate, in submission and invitation. "Feed."

Through the haze of her bloodlust, Alex's heart constricted. Bo, the Pack _imperator_, the leader of the Alpha's elite _centuri_ guard, had never submitted to anyone except the Alpha, but she offered herself willingly now for Alex's need. Daylight was coming, and Alex's newly turned Vampire physiology drove her to consume the blood that would keep her alive during her somnolence until the circadian cycle edged into night and the deadly ultraviolet rays of the sun were neutralized. Before her body became quiescent, she had to replenish the essential ferrin compounds that her system lacked. Without blood, she would die. When she tried to resist the urge, a terrible chasm of pain opened inside her, stripping her reason, driving her mad. Alex groaned and her vision hazed to red.

"Feed," Bo murmured, threading her fingers through Alex's hair, forcing Alex's open mouth harder against the bounding pulse in her neck. "Please, I need you."

Need, desire, all-consuming hunger rolled through Alex's mind and scorched along her nerve pathways, thrumming beneath skin so tight she feared she might tear apart. She was Vampire, but she was also Were. Claws erupted from her fingertips, canines—thinner and sharper after her change—shot from their sheaths. Her lips drew back in a snarl. Brown pelt feathered the trench between her abdominals, and her clitoris lengthened. She pulled Bo to her, scoring shallow gouges in Bo's chest that ran crimson in the dusky glow of almost-dawn. Alex licked the scarlet flow and Bo writhed, her swollen sex hot and hard against Alex's thigh. Alex rubbed her stone-tipped breasts over Bo's and sank into Bo's throat, injecting a flood of erotostimulants into Bo's system with her bite. Bo growled and her face morphed, her canines erupting, her jaw elongating. Alex pulled at Bo's throat and Bo released a torrent of thick, hot _victus_, roaring in an agony of pleasure.

Alex's hips pumped in time to the contractions in her throat, her continuous climax driven by the surge of blood into her tissues. She knew nothing but the blood. She drank, but the dark hollows within her never filled. Her clitoris pulsed, her sex glands emptied over and over, but she craved more. More, and never enough.

A faint whimper penetrated her lust-clouded consciousness. _Bo._ Bo strained in her arms, vulnerable and defenseless. Bo. Alex wrenched her mouth away, panting, her canines still throbbing, her abdomen so tight she could barely breathe. Bo shuddered in midshift, her eyes wolf-hazel, her red-gray pelt shimmering beneath her sex-sheened skin. Alex fell away and Bo threaded her fingers through Alex's hair and kissed her, licking the blood from her mouth.

"More," Bo growled, dragging Alex's head down to her neck. "Take more."

"I can't," Alex gasped.

"Yes." Bo slid her hand down Alex's belly, gripped her sex, and squeezed. "Drink me."

"No," a cool voice said from across the room.

Alex stiffened and flung herself to the far side of the bed. Away from Bo. Away from temptation. Away from the blood that called her like a lover. She wrapped her arms around her middle and buried her face between her knees. "Get away."

_Heed her, little Wolf._The command slid through Bo's mind like a knife.

Bo whipped her head around, snarling as she came up on all fours, inching closer to a full shift. Her jaws ached, her heart thundered. Her pelvis throbbed with the pressure of sex hormones swelling her glands. She was ready to fight or fuck. She focused on the Vampire in the shadows. Foster, lethal as a blade where she leaned against the wall in dark pants and a white shirt open between small breasts, her eyes fiery red, her skin silvery pale in the glow of a morning she would never see again. Bo growled a challenge. "I can feed her all she needs."

Stef Foster pushed away from the wall and swung the shutters closed over the windows, blocking the daylight. Muted amber lights came on just inside the door. She regarded Bo with a chilly, dismissive expression. "You might be able to. You're _centuri._ If you were human, she would drain you. Even other Weres cannot give what you give and survive. She has taken enough."

Rage tore through Bo's blood. Need curdled in her stomach. Somewhere nearby she felt the Alpha running, running without her. But the Alpha's call still stirred her, and she had nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. No one to ease her terrible emptiness. She needed to lose herself in the addictive pleasure of Alex's bite. The Vampire watching her had taught her that pleasure the night Bo had first offered her blood to save the Vampire's life. Now she was left with the insatiable desire for the pleasure, and oblivion, only a Vampire's bite could bestow.

"You have fed her for the last time," Stef said.

Bo came out of her crouch with a powerful thrust of her legs and launched herself at Stef's throat. She would not be subjugated to the will of this Vampire or any other. She answered only to the Alpha. She would take her pleasure where she wanted, when she wanted, and no one would dictate to her or any other Were. She struck the thick log wall where Stef had been standing, her claws scraping timber and her jaws snapping closed on empty air. She'd shifted in midflight and her wolf fell heavily, rolling with a growl onto her feet. The Vampire had moved so quickly as to be invisible. Vampires carried no scent detectable even to a Were's heightened senses, forcing Bo to track her by sight. Whirling around, she scanned the room with a quick sweep of her head. Stef stood between Bo and Alex, who had fallen into her daylight somnolence, naked, blood-covered, coated in _victus_ and sex sweat. Bo stalked forward, lips curled back, eyes fixed on her prey.

"You forget, little Wolf," Stef said softly. "I am Risen now. You are no match for me."

Stef's eyes darkened to the color of burning blood and Bo whined, the pressure in her skull from the Vampire's thrall forcing her down on her belly. She would not show her throat, she would die first. The pressure grew and she whined again. The Vampire was suddenly crouched in front of her. Cool fingers threaded through her ruff, lifting her effortlessly until her muzzle was extended and her throat exposed.

"I could take you now, little Wolf," Stef murmured, "if I wanted. There was a time when all wolves came to the call of their Vampire masters. I could call you to me again, but I won't." Stef lowered Bo to the floor. "Understand this. Alex is _centuri_, and she is Were. But she is also Vampire, and she is mine. She will not feed from you again."

Bo staggered on unsteady legs to the bed and crawled up next to Alex. She rested her muzzle on Alex's breast, shielding her. Guarding her. She had been born to guard and the Alpha had ordered her to protect Alex. This she understood. This she would do, or die.

* * *

Stef slipped out of the room, satisfied her newling would be secure until Alex rose again at nightfall and she took her out to hunt. She glided down the wide hall of the Were infirmary toward the room where she had risen only a short time before. Lena was there. Stef's throat tightened. Lena.

A female stepped from the shadows and Stef slowed, misting into visibility. She nodded to the Were medic with the dirty blond hair and haunted mahogany eyes. "Lauren."

Lauren murmured, "It is good to see you, Detective."

"Thank you." Stef didn't bother to correct her. The moment she had risen, she had ceased being a police detective. While she had been a pre-animate—what the humans called a living Vampire—she had appeared on the surface to be more human than Praetern, and even then, her colleagues distrusted her. Most feared her. There would be no place for a Risen Vampire in the human law enforcement hierarchy, especially not one with the level of power bequeathed by her ancient bloodlines. Now she had no choice but to take up the mantle of her Clan and prepare to rule the Dominion that would pass to her when her father stepped aside or the balance of power among the many families shifted and she would be forced to take his place. For now, her responsibility lay in ensuring the survival of her species.

Lauren glanced over her shoulder toward the massive wood doors at the far end of the hall. Doors built for a fortress, not a hospital. A sliver of sunlight glowed beneath them. "I know you must go. Bo—and Alex. Are they all right?"

"Alex is safe. Bo guards her."

"Has Alex fed?" Lauren asked. "We didn't send anyone."

"She has been cared for."

Lauren colored. "Of course. Bo. Thank you."

"Much has changed in a very short time," Stef said, her heightened empathic powers reading sadness verging on despair in the Were's psyche. "Everything will not always be as it is now."

"No one knows that better than I," Lauren said. "I won't keep you. I only wanted to let you know we have dispatched guards to your room and Alex's, although here in the Compound you are safe."

"That's not necessary. My soldiers will see to it." She had already called for her soldiers and her blood servants to come to the Compound. When she woke at sunfall, so soon after rising, she would be voracious, and she could not risk Lena being the only one nearby to host. As to how safe she was in the Were Compound, she trusted Ashley Davies' word that she and her Vampires would be protected, but she was no fool. If Ashley fell, the next Alpha might have a different view. Until her transition was complete, she would not be able to function well during daylight hours. Soon, she would not be so weak. Her powers were emerging quickly. Even now her body resisted the pull of the torpor ignited by the rising sun.

"Then you will be doubly guarded." Lauren smiled. "The Alpha has ordered it."

"Thank you, then," Stef said and left Lauren to join her consort.

Stef stepped into the room where she had risen. Lena had already closed the blinds and shuttered the windows. A lamp beside the bed illuminated Lena's shoulder-length ebony hair and made her coffee skin glint with mahogany highlights. Stef latched the door behind her and strode to the bed, unbuttoning her shirt as she walked, watching Lena watch her undress. Lena's eyes gleamed and Stef saw hunger there. She'd seen hunger countless times in the eyes of her hosts, males and females, human and Praetern, but no one's hunger had ever stirred her the way Lena's did. Lena hungered for _her_, not the pleasure her bite would bring or the chance for immortality.

"You show me worlds I never dreamed of," Stef murmured. Her throat ached to taste her. Her need filled her until all she knew was Lena.

"I can see myself reflected in your eyes," Lena said. "You make me feel beautiful and desirable."

"You see the truth." Stef stopped at the foot of the bed and unzipped her pants. She stepped free of everything—clothes, preconceptions, old wounds—when she went to Lena. "I don't have much time."

Lena pushed the covers aside. "I know. Come to me."

Stef slid under the covers, lassitude spreading through her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're here with me. I couldn't ask for anything else."

Smiling, Stef traced the line of Lena's jugular, flowing hot and fast beneath her skin. "No?"

"You see the truth, as well." Lena caught Stef's hand and kissed her palm. "Alex? Is she all right?"

"Yes. She did well."

"Good." Lena's eyes were worried as she skated her fingertips over Stef's throat and down the center of her chest. "Will you be safe today?"

"Don't worry. My people are already here."

Lena glanced at the door. "I don't hear anything."

"I feel them."

"Are they in your blood, like me?"

Stef pressed her mouth to Lena's throat and let her incisors pierce the skin infinitesimally. "There is no other like you. You are my blood mate. My blood flows in you, and yours in me. We're bound, eternally."

"Eternally," Lena whispered, sadness swirling in her eyes. "But I am human—"

"Lena," Stef whispered. "When I rose this morning, my destiny changed forever, as did yours. I have much to tell you."

"I know. When you wake, there will be time for us to talk." Lena rested her hand beneath Stef's breast, her fingers trembling. "You're growing cooler."

Stef covered Lena's hand with hers. "You won't feel it beat until I feed again, and sometimes, not even then. Does that bother you?"

Lena kissed her. "No. I have you. That's what I need."

"I hunger for you."

"The Weres who hosted for you were not enough?" Lena said, the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. "What else do you need?"

"You. I need you." Stef pulled Lena on top of her and pushed her hair back, exposing her neck. She licked the smooth skin over the pulse in Lena's throat. "I would drink you before I sleep."

Lena shifted and straddled Stef's thigh. She was wet, hot. "Would you?"

"You already fed me once. I shouldn't."

Lena smiled, rubbing herself against Stef's abdomen. She wasn't yet used to the crimson shards that had appeared in Stef's eyes when she had risen, but she loved the flames that leapt in them now, knowing she had put that need there. She loved knowing no matter how many others had fed her lover, she was the one Stef still needed. She slipped her fingers behind Stef's head and pulled Stef forward until Stef's mouth was against her neck. "Drink me. You're mine."

"Yes." Stef groaned and slid into Lena, flooding Lena's body with her hormones, filling herself with Lena's lifeblood.

Lena arched and cried out, her orgasm a burning tide streaming through her. Beneath her, Stef climaxed in deep, continuous waves until she licked the punctures closed in Lena's throat, shut her eyes, and fell away, lying still as death. Lena gathered her close, aching to see her so defenseless. She didn't care how many guards stood outside the door. Stef was hers to protect, and no one would threaten her while she lived.

She hadn't slept the night before, waiting for Stef to return from the night raid with the Alpha, and she wasn't planning on leaving Stef's side until she had risen again. Stef would need her bonded blood until her transition was complete, no matter how many others hosted for her. She drifted until a faint click jerked her awake. She sat up, putting herself between Stef and the door as the knob turned.

A brunette Lena didn't recognize—a soldier by the looks of her black leather pants, calf-high boots, black T-shirt, and the automatic weapon holstered beneath her left arm—entered and closed the door. Her gaze swept the room, lingered for a moment on Stef, then settled on Lena.

"The Liege rests comfortably?" Her voice was low and resonant, like the smooth register of a fine stringed instrument.

Lena drew the sheet over Stef's bare chest. "She's fine. Who are you?"

"I am Captain Roberts, head of security for Clan _Chasseur de Nuit_."

Lena mentally thumbed through her little-used French. "Night hunters. Stef's Clan?"

"Yes."

"The sun is up. How is it you're awake?"

"I am human."

Lena frowned. "I thought Dani was in charge of Stef's guard."

"She is head of the Vampire guard, and they answer to me."

"How is it that I've never met you before?"

"The Liege did not wish protection. Now that she is Risen and officially Heir, she has no choice." Roberts nodded and reached for the door. "I'll be outside, should you need anything. When the Liege rises, she will need to feed."

"I know," Lena said sharply.

"She left instructions that you were not to be the first to host tonight."

"Oh? And who will be first?"

Roberts smiled. "I will."


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

As the sun crested the mountains, Spencer kept pace with Ashley, racing beneath the forest canopy on a narrow trail through underbrush where only deer and fox had previously passed. Her mate never took the same path twice. Routine invited ambush.

The scattered shafts of summer sunlight highlighted the darkness of Ashley's coat and reflected in golden shards from her wolf-turned eyes. Spencer's shoulder brushed Ashley's with every stride and her heart pounded with exertion and unfettered joy. Ashley was healthy again, and she was certain Spencer carried their offspring inside her. Spencer was afraid to hope. She wasn't supposed to be able to bear young. She wasn't born Were, but turned, mutated, transformed. Others called her _mutia_,but she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been Were. She couldn't remember a time when Ashley had not filled her heart and mind, when she hadn't been Pack. In another life, she had grown up alone, never having known her parents, left to defend herself in a system in which the outsider was more often than not abandoned and lost. She had survived, but she had never expected to be anything other than alone. Now her life was filled with the scent and the sound and the heartbeats of hundreds of other Weres, Ashley's Pack. Her Pack now. If Ashley was right, she carried the promise of the Pack's future in the young who would continue Ashley's line. If Ashley was right.

Ashley bumped her shoulder and nipped at her muzzle. _You doubt me, Prima?_

_I can't feel them._

_You will._Ashley circled her, growling and snapping at her nose, diverting her from her worries. _Run with me, mate._

Ashley streaked away, expecting Spencer to give chase. Spencer followed slowly until Ashley disappeared into the brush, and once Ashley was out of sight, cut into the forest, abandoning Ashley's trail. Spencer would give Ashley her throat as easily as she'd given her heart, but she would never let Ashley dominate her. Ashley was the most dominant Were in the Northern Hemisphere. Spencer trusted Ashley's love and the power of their mate bond, but Ashley needed more than her love and devotion to complete her. She needed challenge. Ashley needed an equal to rule by her side and, even more importantly, to shield her, to protect her, to comfort her. Ashley would never accept that comfort from anyone less than an equal.

Spencer burst out of the trees into a clearing on top of a ridge that overlooked the Compound across the valley. Smoke curled from the stone chimneys of the log buildings surrounding the central complex. She could just make out the _sentries_ standing post at the top of the stockade fence. Much closer in the forest, she sensed the _centuri_forming a protective circle around her and Ashley, and others in the far mountains, guarding their perimeter. Even deeper, hundreds of miles away, lone scouts roamed the wilderness, protecting their borders. In these thousands of acres of King High forest the Weres lived free, and she and Ashley would die to protect their freedom.

Twenty yards below her, a midnight streak glinted through the green leaves. Ashley. Spencer bounded down the mountainside, angling along the edge of the ravine, and burst out onto the lower trail just as Ashley emerged from the brush. She launched herself at Ashley, taking her to the pine-needle-covered forest floor with her jaws buried in Ashley's ruff. Ashley growled and snapped, thrashing to throw her off, struggling to mount her. Spencer closed her jaws on Ashley's leg, catching her paw, biting down hard enough to make Ashley snarl. Spencer backed off with Ashley's leg between her teeth, careful not to injure, and lowered her shoulders, shaking Ashley with a deep rumble. They were nearly the same size in skin, but in pelt, Ashley was larger, heavier, stronger. She was Alpha.

Ashley broke free and lunged, teeth slashing the air. Spencer skirted away, abandoning her hold. Ashley's canines grazed her flank, and she twisted in a tight S-turn and came at Ashley from behind. When she jumped, Ashley cut low underneath her, clamped down on her throat, and dragged her to ground. Spencer's nose dug into the rich loam, and she sneezed a cloud of dirt and leaves in Ashley's face. Eyes gleaming in victory, Ashley rolled her easily and straddled her midsection with all four limbs. Ashley closed her jaws around Spencer's muzzle until Spencer whined in surrender. When Ashley released her, Spencer licked her face and nipped at her neck.

Ashley shimmered above her, the power and speed of her shift pulling Spencer back to skin with her. In an instant, they were breast to breast, skin to skin, heart to heart.

Spencer kissed her. "Have a good run?"

Ashley supported herself on her elbows and grazed Spencer's jaw with her teeth. "I felt you coming, you know. I let you catch me."

"Liar." Spencer laughed.

"You think you can hide from me, Prima?" Ashley's auburn hair glowed in the sunlight, chocolate eyes grew deeper. She nuzzled Spencer's neck and kissed her. "I feel you always. Everywhere."

Spencer ran her hands down Ashley's back, tracing the heavy muscles along her spine and the strong arch of her ass. She opened her legs and drew Ashley between hers. "I feel you in my body. In my heart. Always."

Ashley's eyes glittered gold and the bones in her face grew heavy. Her wolf surged and she pressed herself more tightly between Spencer's legs.

"You're sure, about the young?" Spencer whispered.

"Very sure." Ashley's voice had dropped, grown gravelly. She had perfect control of her shift and could transform partially, unlike any other Were in the Pack except for Spencer. Now she let her wolf surface to claim her mate.

Spencer readied to Ashley's call, opening for her, lifting to her, accepting the firm length of Ashley's clitoris into the cleft below her own. Heat swept into the depths of her belly, different than the agonizing fire of breeding heat—smoother, fuller, a steady burn calling her wolf to join. She seated Ashley with her inner muscles and felt Ashley tense. Her mate was close to release already—always so potent, so primed to claim her.

"I'm here," Spencer murmured. "I want you over me, in me."

Ashley thrust between her legs, her hot mouth covering the shadow of the mate bite on Spencer's shoulder that never disappeared, only faded until her blood called for her mate. When Ashley slid her canines into her muscle, Spencer thrust hers into Ashley's chest. Heat turned to flame, flame to fire.

"Now," Spencer cried, her pelvis jerking in time with Ashley's release, her essence pulsing over Ashley's pelt-streaked belly and thighs, joining them, uniting them, marking their bond. Ashley's ass tightened and she pushed deeper inside, swelling until they locked. Spencer's claws emerged and she held Ashley to her, raking her back, the pleasure-pain forcing Ashley to empty with a roar.

"I love you," Spencer gasped as Ashley shuddered inside her, claiming her.

"Mine," Ashley groaned, collapsing in Spencer's arms, her hips still pumping as her orgasm trailed away. "You are my heart."

"Yes." Spencer smoothed the damp hair at the back of Ashley's neck. These were the moments she held most precious, when Ashley's need for her comfort and protection was greatest. No one else would ever see Ashley this way. To everyone else she was unapproachable, unassailable, unbreakable.

Spencer kissed Ashley's temple, a bright surge of pleasure followed by an incredible sense of peace rising from deep within her. Her loins stirred, not from need or desire, but from joy. She tightened her hold on Ashley. "I feel them."

Ashley's breath caught. "How many?"

Spencer laughed. "Two."

"Can you tell what?"

"Not yet." Spencer nipped at Ashley's shoulder. "Do you care?"

"No," Ashley said. "Every pup is precious, and male or female, I will teach them to lead."

"I know you will, but there'll be no need for a new Alpha for many years to come."

Ashley nestled her cheek against Spencer's shoulder. "We have unfinished business."

"I know," Spencer said, tracing the scars on Ashley's chest and abdomen where the assassin's bullets had torn into her. Whoever had attempted to kill her was still at large. They had yet to discover who was behind the abuse of the young wolves they had liberated only hours before from an experimental laboratory. Their enemies were everywhere, and Ashley was still a target. "We need to speak with Carmen and Alice. Hopefully they will have some clue as to who abducted them and why."

"I'm afraid there may be others still imprisoned," Ashley said darkly. "Who knows how many other young they may have taken from other Packs or even from our own. Our adolescents often leave the Compound to roam for a year or two before they're ready to settle down and mate. Some leave to integrate into human society. We have young females in colleges, police academies, the military. Dozens if not hundreds beyond our immediate protection."

"Wouldn't you know if they were missing?" Spencer stroked Ashley's back, aching to ease some of Ashley's burden. Ashley bore a heavy mantle of responsibility safeguarding the well-being of an entire society, but Ashley did not see her obligation as a burden. Her duty was the destiny she was born to, and Spencer would never try to turn her from that path. But she would not let Ashley's duty destroy her either.

"Their families would alert us," Ashley said. "I can feel all of the Pack, always, but more as a collective consciousness—not individuals, unless I focus and try to reach out to them. Without knowing who might be in danger, I might not know until it's too late. And if their captors are capable of shielding them from us as they did Carmen and Alice, then I would never know."

Ashley's skin shimmered and her pelt exploded over her sleek muscles, her anger and frustration pushing her wolf to the surface.

"We know now what to look for," Spencer said calmly. "We've already sent out alerts to all the females outside the Compound. Everyone will be on guard."

"And what of the young from other Packs who might still be in chains?"

"Would you take on the responsibility for every Pack in the Northern Hemisphere?"

Ashley growled. "If need be. There hasn't been a Supreme Alpha to unite all the Packs for centuries, since before my mother's time. But there was a time when one Alpha ruled all the Packs. Perhaps that time has come again."

"Suggest that," Spencer said, "and you'll make yourself a target among the Weres as well as the anti-Praetern factions."

"I must do what needs to be done."

Spencer sighed and threaded her fingers through Ashley's hair. "I know. But will you at least agree to wait until we have more information? There's so much we don't know about why Alice and Carmen and the others were abducted, and if we can discover what their captors wanted from them, we may be able to find out who they are."

"You ask me to be patient, when our enemies seek to exterminate our entire species?" Ashley's brown eyes turned to ash.

Spencer had never been afraid of Ashley. There'd been a time when the sheer lethality of Ashley's power overwhelmed her. But not now. She had seen Ashley moments from death. She had seen her feral. She'd seen her helpless in the throes of orgasm. She did not fear Ashley's wolf. She tugged on Ashley's hair. "I would have you think before you bite." She grasped Ashley's hand and pressed it to her abdomen. "They will need you, as we all do."

Ashley rumbled and her eyes narrowed. "You don't fight fair."

"I fight any way I have to to protect what's mine." Spencer relaxed her grip on Ashley's hair. "You will lead us to freedom, but not at the cost of your life."

Ashley pushed up, clouds rolling through her eyes. "You trust me?"

"In all things. Except…"

Ashley snarled and Spencer laughed.

"You tend to be a little overprotective. You must promise not to keep secrets from me. I need to be your mate in all things."

Another unhappy rumble rolled from Ashley's chest, but she nodded. "And you must promise that you will guard yourself and our young no matter what happens to me."

"I promise I will guard our young and you as long as I breathe," Spencer whispered. She slid her hand behind Ashley's neck and pulled her down to kiss her. "Promise me the same."

"I promise."

"Then let's go home. You need to talk to Carmen and Alice and find out what was done to them. Then I'll need to consult with Leo and Crystal." She sighed. "We're going to have to examine them, Ashley—probably at the lab. It won't be easy for them."

"They are wolf Weres," Ashley said archly. "They will stand."

"They're young," Spencer said softly.

"They're _our_ young, and you are their Prima. They will trust you."

"And what about the Vampires? They stood with us last night. Are you willing to ally with them now?"

Ashley sat up, put her back against a tree, and pulled Spencer into her arms. She rested her chin on top of Spencer's head. In her lifetime, there hadn't been a formal Were-Vampire alliance, although she knew such agreements had existed in her mother's time. Over the years as the Praetern species had integrated into human society, the old alliances had fallen aside as each species maneuvered for power or privilege or protection. The Weres had carved out strongholds in remote, undeveloped terrains, quietly buying up acreage to establish their Pack lands. The Vampires had chosen the underworld, often skirting the edges of the law to establish their power base, rubbing shoulders with organized crime in their casinos and hotels and clubs. Those most able to pass as human, the Sorcerers and the Psi-gifted, were the most loosely organized, and the Fae had retreated to Faerie, emerging only when they needed humans to breed. She wasn't sure who to trust, even among the Praetern Coalition that she led.

"I trust Foster," Ashley finally said. "And her soldiers fought well for us last night."

Spencer said, "We share more than a common enemy with her. We share Alex."

Ashley's lip curled, but she nodded. "When the Vampire wakes, we'll discuss strategy." She growled. "It seems we will have to get used to having Vampires in the Compound."

"And they'll have to get used to Weres in their lair."

Ashley smiled and kissed her. "Good point."

Spencer pressed Ashley's hand more firmly to her abdomen. "When will we tell the Pack?"

"They'll know as soon as they scent you."

"Great." Spencer sighed. "They know when you need to tangle because you broadcast to all of them. They know when we _do_ tangle, because you're so damn potent. Now they know when I'm…"

"Pregnant."

Spencer smiled. "Yes. Is there anything about us they _don't_ know?"

"No." Ashley kissed her again. "We are their leaders."

"I feel them all," Spencer said softly. "It's amazing. You're amazing. I love you."

"I love you. Let's go home." Ashley kissed her, and her wolf called Spencer's.

Ashley howled, calling their wolves to run with them, and Spencer joined her.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Jenny Schecter stood on the balcony of her 220-year-old brownstone condo, sipping her black coffee, enjoying the cool breeze blowing through the thin satin robe she'd pulled on after her shower. Her damp hair curled on her shoulders, her nipples hardening pleasantly in the chill air. By noon the day would be hot, but right now, a few hours after dawn, the weather was perfect. Contemplating early-morning sex, and who she might call upon to accommodate her, she observed the runners, in the nearby park, streaming along the footpaths, wondering how many of them weren't human. She wondered too why more humans weren't outraged at the notion of creatures moving freely among them, imitating them, pretending to be human, while all the time endangering the human species. If the mutants weren't directly preying upon humans like the Weres and Vampires, they were compelling, enchanting, or mind-manipulating humans to their own benefit. Long before the Exodus and the unveiling of the Praetern species, she had been working to perfect and preserve the human genome, so when she had discovered the presence of these deviant species she had immediately adapted her work to find ways to control them. She'd always had to be secretive about her true goals—now more than ever. The assault on her lab last night was a setback but, as with all negative outcomes, also an opportunity to learn and improve the experimental model.

Her hand shook at a surge of rage and she calmly refocused her mind. She could not afford to be emotional. She had to regain control, and quickly. No one else could be counted on to protect her work. She had assumed the mercenary guards Isaac had provided, some of whom weren't human, would be adequate security, but obviously she had been wrong to trust something so critical to him. The cat mongrels had been no match for the wolves, and the human guards even less so. What she needed was her own security force, and humans weren't sufficient. She didn't trust Weres—too primitive, and she'd never allow a Fae or Psi, who might be able to affect her mind, anywhere near her inner circle. But the Vampires—now, they were a real possibility. Her nipples tingled as she recalled the feeding she'd witnessed last night, a Vampire bleeding one of the wolf Weres, forcing the Were to orgasm. The Vampire had been breathtakingly powerful and had sexually dominated even the dominant Were. Just watching the Vampire feed had made her wet.

She'd speak to the Chancellor of the City about employing her own security going forward. She laughed quietly. The Vampires would have their uses, at least until the greater threat of the Weres—more numerous, more visible, and more organized—was neutralized. She'd deal with the Vampires later.

Turning away from the idyllic—and boring—early-morning scene, she strode through her bedroom to her office across the hall and settled behind her Louis XV desk. As she pulled several file folders toward her, she dialed Isaac's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Yes?" he said tersely.

"Good morning, darling. I hope you don't mind me calling so early."

"Of course not," he said, although she detected an edge of annoyance in his voice. He had asked her not to call him at home.

She smiled. All the better for him to realize she didn't play by anyone else's rules. "How soon will we be able to convert one of the other labs so I can resume my work?"

"It will take some time, especially if we want to complete the conversion in secrecy."

"After last night, secrecy is even more important," she said. "The Weres have been alerted to our work now. They'll be looking for us."

"Perhaps we can create a diversion," he said. "Something to focus their attention elsewhere."

"I think that's an excellent idea. In the meantime, we have the problem of the remaining subjects in the compromised lab."

"We can move them temporarily," he said.

She opened the first file and scanned a few tables of results. "I don't think it's worth it. Thus far, the results have been less than promising with them, and now they're essentially contaminated specimens. I'd much rather start fresh."

"We could drop them off at the hospital again and try to stir up some public anti-Were sentiment that way."

"Ordinarily I'd agree," she said, "but after last night, I don't think we want to call attention to any part of our operation. Simple disposal would be better."

He sighed. "Easier said than done."

"Well, you know how frequent and devastating industrial accidents can be. If there was to be an explosion, for example, the lab would be destroyed and so would all the laboratory animals."

"Jesus, Jenny—that's a multimillion-dollar installation."

She laughed. "Darling, that's why you have insurance."

* * *

After their run, Ashley and Spencer showered while the _centuri_ circled their remote cabin, guarding them. Ashley pulled on a pair of jeans as she watched Spencer dress. Her mate had changed since her transformation. Her muscles had become more prominent, her cheekbones sharper, her gait more fluid. She'd been compelling as a human; she was breathtaking as a Were.

"Would you have loved me if I'd never changed?" Spencer asked, pulling on a pair of charcoal camo BDUs. She caught Ashley's gaze, held it. Another thing only she could do. "Because I loved you even before."

The uncertainty in Spencer's eyes struck Ashley's heart like a blade. Growling a warning low in her throat that would have put any other Were, wolf or not, on their belly, Ashley leapt across the space between them and pulled Spencer down on the heavy wood-framed bed, landing above her with her thighs caging Spencer's hips. "I knew you were mine the minute I saw you."

Spencer framed Ashley's face, still searching.

Ashley rumbled but allowed the scrutiny. "What do you see?"

"An Alpha who might not have let herself claim a human." Spencer shuddered. "I'm sorry—I don't know why—"

"Ask your wolf what she feels," Ashley whispered, kissing Spencer's throat. "Weres grow up learning to trust that truth. Our wolves see the world differently than we do when in skin. They aren't misguided by convention or pretense. They connect by instinct, choose by nature, love…_mate_…with certainty."

"I know." Spencer rubbed her cheek against Ashley's shoulder. "I feel our bond. I don't know why I even think about what might have happened if I hadn't turned."

Ashley laughed and pushed down on the bed. She kissed Spencer's tight stomach, noting the faintest swelling that hadn't been there the day before. "Maybe they have something to do with it."

Spencer groaned. "Oh no. Not already. I refuse to be crazy this entire pregnancy."

"You can be as crazy as you like," Ashley whispered, rising up to kiss Spencer again, "just never doubt I love you. And to answer your question, yes, I loved you before. I would have had you, or no one."

"Ah God. I know that in my heart." Spencer brushed her fingers through Ashley's hair. "How long before they're born?"

"Leo and Crystal said you are physically indistinguishable from a born Were. So sixty days."

Spencer jerked. "So soon?" She ran her hand down her belly. "Are they sentient?"

Ashley nodded. "They will be soon. They'll know us, feel the Pack and each other."

"And they'll look like you."

"Maybe." Ashley rested her chin on Spencer's and grinned. "The hormones in my _victus_ carried my DNA and the reproductive catalysts, but your DNA carries the Were traits. They might look like you."

"Hmm." Spencer licked at Ashley's mouth, kissed her. "I can't wait to see you with them."

Ashley's chest tightened and a surge of adrenaline raced through her. "We can't let anything endanger them. You should stay here—in the den—where you'll all be safe."

"For two months?" Spencer asked carefully.

"Even longer would be better. Until they can run fast enough to avoid predators."

"Predators?" Spencer's eyes widened. "What predators?"

Ashley's canines dropped and she snarled. "Other Weres. Humans."

"Weres? Not our Weres." Spencer sat up, her body quivering.

Ashley pulled Spencer into her arms. "Wolves are territorial, and I don't trust Trick's wolves not to attack any of our young if they come upon them." She caressed Spencer's back. "Nothing will hurt them. I swear."

"How soon will they be able to shift? They'll run faster then, be safer."

"I don't know. They won't have any control until they're adolescents. Before then, the pups will shift instinctively if threatened. The more dominant they are, the sooner they shift."

Spencer twisted in Ashley's lap, brushing her breasts over Ashley's. "Since they're yours, they'll probably shift as soon as they can move."

Ashley laughed. "Ours. They're ours."

"Yes," Spencer murmured, tucking her head in the curve of Ashley's throat. "And we have others to protect as well. I can't hide away for months, Ashley."

"I know." Ashley sighed. "I'm going to the infirmary to talk to Carmen and Alice."

"I'd come with you, but I think they might be more comfortable with you alone. I'll talk to Chelsea about their medical condition and you can brief me after."

Ashley wrapped her arms around Spencer's waist. "Promise you won't leave the Compound without Kenzi and Vex."

"With Alex absent and Bo assigned to guard her, the ranks of your _centuri_ are already depleted. You shouldn't reduce them further by assigning me your personal guards," Spencer protested.

Thunder rolled through Ashley's belly. "You are Prima, and pregnant. You should have _all_ the _centuri_around you. By rights, I should confine you to the Compound."

Spencer raised a brow. "Oh really. In which millennium?"

Ashley growled. "Don't push me on this. I won't have you at risk."

Spencer leaned into her and bit her chin. "I know, and I won't worry you unnecessarily. I'm not planning on going anywhere until I've talked to you, and then I'll take Kenzi and Vex with me. But I need to see the Lewis's."

"All right," Ashley said. "I need to go contact the rest of the Coalition. I want to find out if any of them had any inkling of what was going on in that laboratory in Oregon."

"You actually think they would tell you?"

"Perhaps not, but I can usually tell when they're lying."

"If you need me for any reason, I won't be far."

Ashley pulled her closer and kissed her hard. "Good. Because I need you again soon."

Spencer smiled. "That's a far better way of keeping me close than restricting me to quarters."

Ashley rumbled. "Whatever it takes."

* * *

Ashley found Chelsea, the Pack _medicus_, in her small office at the front of the infirmary. Chelsea looked up as Ashley stepped through the door, her dark eyes rimmed with shadows. Small, fine-boned, and nondominant, she appeared nonthreatening, but Ashley knew Chelsea would fight as fiercely as any of her warriors to protect those in her care.

"Have you had any sleep?" Ashley asked.

"Not much. It took me most of the night to evaluate both of them, just to be sure there were no acute problems needing attention."

Ashley closed the door behind her and leaned against it, folding her arms across her chest. "And?"

"They're in bad shape, Alpha," Chelsea said, sadness and fury streaking through her eyes. "They're both malnourished, as well as having been physically and psychologically abused."

"How?" Ashley asked, her voice flat and cold as winter ice.

"They've been bound with silver—they have burns around their wrists and arms and waists. Probably chained to a wall."

Ashley snarled.

"Carmen has tears on her neck. They look like bite marks."

"Vampire?" Ashley growled. Foster and her soldiers had all been outside the installation with her. She hadn't seen any other Vampires inside.

"I think so. And there's more," Chelsea said wearily. "They both have multiple puncture sites at various places on their bodies where blood and tissue specimens have been taken. They've also been…manipulated in some way—electrostimulants, I would guess—to force emissions."

Ashley paced, her lips drawn back and her canines flashing. Silver streaked her bare chest and abdomen, hardened nipples tightened over the prominent muscles in her chest. "Are they permanently damaged?"

"Physically? I don't know. I don't think so." Chelsea came around her desk, shoulders drooping. "Psychologically? Quite possibly. The silver prevented them from shifting, and then when Alice did last night, after so long—you saw her. Her control is gone. She shifted again early this morning and was barely restrainable. Kyla was in the building and was able to talk her into shifting back, but I'm concerned we're going to have to tranquilize her."

"Don't do that," Ashley ordered. "She's already had too many drugs pumped into her, they both have. I could smell it on them."

"I know, but I can't let her attack someone. She's strong, Alpha."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"It happened quickly, and I knew you and the Prima were resting. She needs all your attention now."

Ashley growled and halted a few inches in front of Chelsea. "I know what my mate needs. And I know what my Pack needs. Don't keep anything from me about any of them again."

"I understand," Chelsea said quietly.

Ashley sighed, gripped Chelsea's shoulders, and pulled her close. She kissed her temple. "I don't doubt your medical decisions, but when one of us is hurt, they need me more than ever."

"We all need you more than ever." Chelsea rested her cheek against Ashley's chest and held on with both arms around her shoulders. "Are you going to talk to them?"

"Yes."

"They'll want to please you. If they seem to be growing more agitated, more stressed, please stop. They've already suffered enough."

Ashley stroked Chelsea's thick, tangled dark hair. "I know they have. But they're safe here. And we'll go at their pace as long as we can."

"Thank you, Alpha."

Ashley nodded. "Call Kyla to stand by. She, Carmen, and Alice were all in the same _sentrie_ training class. It might help them to have someone their own age around after."

"I will."

"And you should call your mate and spend some time with him. You'll feel better."

Chelsea laughed. "You're probably right. But then, you always are."

"Go call Hale," Ashley murmured. With her Pack under assault, she needed to be right now more than ever.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Sensing the Vampire approaching outside her inner sanctum, Madison gave one last swipe of her tongue to the bite in the smooth, warm flesh and raised her head from the human's thigh. _What is it, Robin?_

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Robin said from the hall outside Madison's boudoir. "A phone call."

The aide-in-training was a youngling, recently risen, and not yet able to telepath her thoughts consistently. She had barely matured enough to remain aware during daylight hours, even deep in the protected caverns of Madison's lair. Sighing, Madison turned away from the naked human stretched out on his back in the center of her bed. Her eyes met Shane's lust-laced gaze across his chest, and she smiled. "Go ahead, darling. I won't be long."

Her _senechal_ exhaled, her small tight breasts streaked with crimson from the toying bites she'd scattered across the human's abdomen, her sensuous mouth compressed. "I await your pleasure."

Madison ran her carnelian-tipped nail along Shane's jaw. She'd let her enforcer fuck her after Shane returned from the lab where the humans were studying captive Weres, but she hadn't let her feed. She'd discovered centuries past that the way to secure the fealty of her followers was to bestow favors—and pleasure—at unexpected moments. "I do love how loyal you are. You're still hungry even after having that young Were, aren't you darling?"

"I hunger for you."

"Do you." Shane was the oldest of her line, a powerful Vampire in her own right who could easily head a Clan—or lead a rebellion—but she continued to serve as Madison's second. Madison kissed Shane and loosed her erotic spell, letting her thrall wash over Shane and the blood servant. Shane shuddered. The human writhed, his erection straining between his thighs. "Feed. Your pleasure will be mine."

Snarling, Shane gripped the human's head and bared his throat. She lowered her mouth, plunging her incisors into his neck. She groaned and swallowed. He whimpered in ecstasy. Madison stroked Shane's back, letting her fingers linger on her rhythmically thrusting ass, absorbing the tendrils of Shane's orgasm, the shared release flowing through her consciousness, augmenting her hunger. When the vicarious pleasure had honed her need to a razor's edge, she turned to the door. "Come."

The iron-banded, arched oak door swung open on soundless hinges and Robin glided into the room. Pale skin, mahogany hair, deep green eyes—she was beautiful, intelligent, and submissive without being fragile. She'd been a blood servant since she'd been twenty, had accepted Madison's bond at twenty-five, and had petitioned to be turned immediately. Madison had agreed to turn her as soon as the blood union was complete. Robin's body was still temptingly fresh, bearing the last vestiges of her fading mortality in the softness of her lush breasts and gently curving hips, but her control was fragile. The scent of blood and lust that soaked the air enveloped her, and her eyes shimmered with scarlet flames. Her nipples probed her sheer white silk shirt like ice picks. She dipped her head, incisors gleaming and leather-covered thighs trembling. Her need was ambrosia on Madison's tongue. "Mistress. There is a call from someone on your priority list. A Dr. Schecter."

"Really," Madison murmured, slowly massaging the human's cock. When he climaxed, the flood of adrenaline in his blood would spike Shane's pleasure. "Did she state her business?"

"Personal."

Madison laughed. No doubt. Jenny Schecter had called her just the night before, seeking assistance for one of her experiments. She'd been vague, but Shane had reported in detail. Dr. Schecter was involved in some very secret and very illegal experimentation on Weres, and that knowledge was power. Now Schecter was calling again, and the thought of having the doctor in her debt sent a frisson of satisfaction through Madison's blood. After so many lifetimes, the lure of blood had taken second place to the thrill of power. She enjoyed feeding, but enjoyed feeding off the submission of others even more. She leaned over and kissed the host, the stimulants in her mouth adding to the ones Shane injected into his blood. He cried out hoarsely, his cock arcing violently. She let him go as he came, stroking Shane's midnight hair and running her thumb along the sharp blade of Shane's cheek. "You'd better stop soon, darling. He's close to depleted."

Shane groaned, an agonized gasp of need, but she pulled away, her flat red eyes blind with bloodlust, a trickle of scarlet coursing from the corner of her mouth.

Madison kissed away the blood trail and pushed Shane onto her back. She kissed her throat and then her breasts, sliding her hand between Shane's legs. "I have to take a call, darling." She slipped her fingers into her, a deep hard thrust of ownership, and Shane orgasmed in her hand. "Rest now. We'll feed together when I return."

She left Shane staring at the ornate carved ceiling above the bed and crossed to where Robin quivered in the doorway, her face contorted and her eyes glazed. Robin would have fed with all the other Risen at sunrise, but any Vampire in Madison's presence would be stimulated by her unshielded sexual thrall. And she hadn't bothered to shield herself. Robin pressed her back against the doorjamb as Madison approached, her agonized gaze taking in Madison's nude body.

"You did well to come for me," Madison murmured, pausing inches from her.

"Thank you, Mistress," Robin gasped, her throat working convulsively.

"Kneel."

Robin dropped to her knees and Madison threaded her fingers into the thick dark waves at the base of Robin's neck. She pulled the young Vampire's face to the cleft between her legs. "Drink."

Whimpering, Robin closed her mouth over Madison's sex and sucked frantically. Madison threw her head back, laughing quietly as her orgasm rippled through her like sunlight washing down a mountainside. She had not seen sunlight in a hundred lifetimes, a trade she would make a hundred times over for the power she had now.

* * *

Ashley followed the scent of her injured young down the hall and knocked on the closed door. Any other time she would have entered unannounced, but she didn't want to startle them. Lauren answered immediately and stepped outside, partially closing the door.

"Alpha," Lauren said, dipping her head for an instant.

"How are they?"

"Restless. I can't get either of them to eat. They seem to have an aversion to food."

Fury roiled in Ashley's chest. "Why would that be?"

"Chelsea could probably tell you better than—"

"I'm asking you."

Lauren straightened and the fatigue in her eyes dropped away. "The blood tests we've run indicate they've been drugged chronically, probably via their food and water. Their respiratory emissions also show breakdown products of silver. Their entire environment, from the food they ate to the air they breathed, was a prison. My guess is that their wolves will reject anything they haven't killed themselves, and they're too weak to hunt."

Ashley's claws shot out and she threw her head back, struggling to contain a howl of rage. Lauren gasped, white pelt rippling beneath her skin, rising to the call of Ashley's wolf. Ashley leashed her wolf, her jaws aching with the effort of holding her back. "Prepare the food trays and bring them in. They'll eat for me. As soon as they're stronger, I'll take them out to hunt."

Lauren flicked her gaze away, then fleetingly met Ashley's eyes. "Alpha, if I might make a suggestion?"

Ashley's wolf paced in furious circles, demanding retribution. She wanted to track down whoever had ordered her young to be tortured, drag him to the ground by his throat, and tear him limb from limb. She would, before this was over. She growled.

"About the young," Lauren said gently.

A soothing hand brushed over Ashley's wolf and she paused in her incensed stalking. Spencer was the only one who could truly calm her, but Lauren was exceptional among all the Weres in the Pack. She was Omega—neither dominant nor submissive—a peacekeeper, and her presence would settle anyone near her. She was also likely to absorb the rage and pain of others until she risked being battered herself. Ashley ground her teeth, forcing her wolf to heel. "Tell me."

"I know what it's like to distrust everyone, even myself. They're confused. They may fear you."

"I am their Alpha."

"Yes, and probably the only one they will be able to trust, perhaps ever—but until they can, they're dangerous. Especially Alice."

Ashley snarled. "They are mine. I will care for them."

"Alice's shifts are unpredictable, but she's fighting them. I think she was forced to shift in the lab."

"She won't say?"

"She's not talking. Neither of them is."

"They need to." Ashley cupped Lauren's cheek and lifted her chin. The skin beneath her eyes was purplish, her cheeks hollow, her color ashen beneath the summer bronze. "So do you. You're not well." Lauren tried to look away but Ashley held her jaw more firmly. She breathed in, catching the subtle wave of pheromones on her tongue. "You're in heat and suppressing it."

Lauren shuddered. "Please. When you touch me—"

Ashley released her. She was mated and usually mated Weres had no effect on Weres in heat, but her touch would always produce a physical response. She should have sensed Lauren's need instantly. "What are you doing to dampen the call?"

"Nothing prohibited. Just the hormonal blockers the soldiers use when they're posted alone for long periods." Lauren hugged herself, struggling for composure.

"More than you should be taking if I didn't sense your need instantly. Why?"

"I don't seek a mate. You know why."

Ashley sighed and lightly caressed her cheek. "Why haven't you found one of the less dominant Weres to tangle with? They won't attempt a mating unless you offer."

"Hardly fair to them." Lauren smiled wanly.

"That's not true. Tangling with a female in heat is never a hardship." Ashley caught her gaze. "If you don't, the buildup of hormones will weaken you. You know that."

"I'll be all right. I'll do what needs to be done, just not yet."

"Have you talked to your mother about this?"

"No. Please, Alpha. I'll be all right."

"We need you healthy, Lauren. Don't put this off."

"Of course." Lauren colored. "Thank you, Alpha."

"There's nothing to thank me for. You're mine. Don't forget that."

"I never will." Lauren sidled around Ashley and headed down the hall. "I'll be with Chelsea if you need me."

Ashley let her go, eased into the sickroom, and closed the door behind her.

A single shaded bulb in the center of the ceiling cast pale light on the two beds at right angles to each other at the rear of the room. Carmen and Alice, both naked, had kicked off the plain white sheets. Carmen lay curled in a ball, her arms around her middle, her eyes closed, giving no sign of sensing Ashley's entrance. Shock, exhaustion, malnutrition had dulled her protective instincts. Alice sat with her back pressed to the wall and tracked Ashley's movements as she walked toward her, eyes wary and just this side of challenging.

Ashley crouched between the two beds, reaching to touch both young at once. "You are my wolves," she said steadily. "You're home now, and safe. Feel me, feel the Pack." She let her power rise and Carmen whimpered, shifting in her sleep until a slender brown wolf with white-tipped ears and muzzle lay comma'd in the center of the bed, panting softly. Alice fought not to shift, rumbling in her chest. She absorbed Ashley's call, her teeth grinding, claws erupting from her fingertips, a wash of charcoal pelt sliding over her abdomen. She pulled away from Ashley's hand, her breath ragged and uneven.

"Come to me," Ashley murmured and Gray snarled. She was strong, but she couldn't be allowed to defy the call of her Alpha. She needed to reconnect with the Pack. She needed the security of belonging. Ashley held Alice's gaze, staring her down until Alice's gaze slid to the side. Still she did not shift. Ashley unleashed the full force of her call. "You are my wolf. _Come to me_."

Still struggling to resist, Alice shimmered in midshift, her pelt sliding and receding over her torso, her face morphing and changing back. She'd damage herself if she fought Ashley's call much longer. Ashley grasped her by the neck and pulled her from the bed, forcing her down on her back on the floor. She straddled her and stared into the wild amber eyes. "You _will_ submit to me. I am your Alpha." Alice arched, a plaintive whine breaking from her throat. She shifted and a charcoal wolf shuddered beneath Ashley.

_You're safe, my wolf._ Ashley sank back on her heels and pulled the wolf into her lap, tucking Alice's head against her shoulder. She ran her fingers down Alice's back, over her muzzle, behind her ears. She rubbed her cheek against Alice's head. _You're safe with me. You're strong now, but I need you to be strong in skin. Find your strength, Alice._

The wolf shivered and whined again.

Ashley sat with her back against the bed, holding the wolf in her arms, letting Alice absorb her strength, letting her feel her connection to all the hundreds of hearts beating in the Pack. _It's time to come back, Alice. You're safe. Do it now._

The wolf tensed, shimmered, and after a few convulsive seconds, Alice shifted to skin and lay curled up in Ashley's arms, her breasts against Ashley's chest, her cheek on Ashley's shoulder.

"Alpha," Alice moaned, her mouth against Ashley's throat. Heat poured from her skin and pheromones erupted from her pores. She was young, dominant, and aroused.

Ashley lifted her and laid her gently on the bed, stepping back. "Look at me."

Alice focused on Ashley's face, her eyes clearing.

"You're home. You're safe. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Alpha," Alice murmured, licking her lips.

Ashley nodded, bent over, and brushed her fingers through Alice's hair. "I need you. The Pack needs you. Can you stand strong, my wolf?"

Alice's stomach contracted, her thighs tight as iron bands. She sucked in a breath. "Yes, Alpha."

"Good. First you'll eat, then we'll hunt."


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Lauren hurried down the deserted corridor to the pharmacy and pushed inside. She halted abruptly when she realized the room wasn't empty. Chelsea and the Prima stood on the far side of the room, computer printouts in their hands. Of course. Reviewing the test results from the early-morning blood she had drawn from Carmen and Alice.

"I'm sorry to disturb you." Lauren backed up quickly, reaching behind her for the doorknob.

"That's all right," Chelsea said. "I was just about to call you. Is there anything new?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I can't get them to eat anything, and they keep pulling out their intravenous lines."

An ominous rumble rose from Spencer's chest. "The Alpha is with them?"

"Yes," Lauren said, shivering although the room was warm. She glanced at the locked drug case in the far corner, her stomach cramping, muscles quivering. The hormonal suppressants were wearing off faster and faster every hour. She'd hoped this time she'd be able to anticipate when she was about to go into heat and blunt the process with a megadose of drugs. She should have known by her urgent, uncontrollable desire to tangle with Bo yesterday that she was close, but she'd thought her irrational need was because _Bo_ was in need. Bo, the only Were in the Pack who refused to answer her call when she couldn't hide it, was the one she could never completely deny. She'd been caught up in Bo and hadn't started the drugs soon enough. Not that they could completely control her biological urgency for sex. Nothing prevented the insistent need to tangle, but at least if the rest of her system was functioning normally, she could stand the unrelenting arousal. When her heart was racing, her skin drenched in sweat, her stomach tied into knots, she didn't have enough mental control to contain her need. And she had to, somehow. She'd tripled the dose of drugs the _sentries_ took when they were alone for weeks at a time and went into heat, but she needed more. She needed more now.

"Is there any evidence of incisions?" Spencer asked.

Lauren jolted back to attention, forcing her mind to what really mattered. Taking care of Carmen and Alice. "Carmen has a short vertical incision just above her pubic bone."

Spencer's brows drew down and her growl intensified. "Laparoscopy?"

"Probably," Lauren said.

"We'll need to ultrasound their ovaries," Spencer said. "If they've had a recent biopsy or harvesting, we should see swelling."

"I don't know that we can get close enough to them to do that," Lauren said.

"We won't force anything on them," Spencer said, "but it has to be done. In the meantime, you both look like you could use some rest."

"You'll need help with the procedure," Chelsea said.

"We'll let the Alpha decide on the timing. If she doesn't think they're ready, we'll have to wait. I'll call one of you to assist." Spencer slowed on her way to the door, her cobalt eyes moving slowly over Lauren's face. "You need more than sleep. Are you all right?"

"Yes, Prima," Lauren said, a featherlight sensation of heat passing through her, almost as if invisible fingers had stroked her. She held her breath, searching to recapture the feeling, and then a glow suffused her consciousness. She gasped, and a flood of joy erased her pain and disappointment. "Prima! You're…How wonderful!"

Spencer smiled wryly. "I am, and thank you." She glanced at Chelsea. "I gather this is going to go on pretty much continuously?"

Chelsea nodded.

"Maybe we should just make a mass announcement," Spencer said.

Chelsea grinned. "Oh no, Prima. We wouldn't want to rob anyone of that first exciting instant when they recognize a new member of the Pack."

"Two," Lauren whispered. "Two of them. And so strong already."

"You can sense them that clearly?"

"Yes," Lauren said, glancing at Chelsea.

Chelsea said, "Lauren is a very strong empath. She could sense her Packmates even when she was young."

"Hmm." Spencer slid her hands in the pockets of her BDUs and rocked back on her heels, her eyes going distant as if she waged some internal debate. "How much can you tell about them?"

"I'm not sure I should say without the Alpha—"

"I understand, but you can be sure if you know, she'll know too. Just…are they healthy? Can you tell that?"

"Oh yes," Lauren said, her awareness heightened now that she was seeking out the young. Wonder such as she hadn't felt since the first time she'd shifted and run through columns of sunlight under towering trees streamed through her, and she reveled in long-forgotten pleasure. These young would bring the Pack new energy and vigor. "Very strong." She laughed. "I don't think I've ever sensed unborn pups so early before."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Well, of course. They are the Alpha's young after all."

"Do you want to know—"

"You can tell?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Not without Ashley." Spencer cupped Lauren's chin. "You've told me what I most needed to know. Now do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"I…" Lauren drew a shaky breath. "With your permission, Prima, I'd rather not."

"We'll have need of you more than ever in the days ahead. We'll need you strong."

Lauren nodded. "I understand. Thank you for trusting me."

Spencer drew her close. "I've known you for a long time, well before I was Prima. You knew me as human. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. Friend to friend."

Lauren's throat tightened. She had friends in the Pack—but none who could really understand what it was to be an outsider, even if she could tell them what kept her apart. Spencer, more than anyone else, would know. She rested her head on Spencer's shoulder, allowing herself brief comfort. "Thank you."

"Not necessary. I know something of what you feel." Spencer hugged her quickly and, grasping her shoulders gently, put distance between them. "The Alpha is coming. She's a little possessive these days."

Lauren's heart jumped into her throat. All Weres with pregnant mates became irrationally possessive, but the Alpha? She took another step back just as the door swung open with a bang. Ashley strode in, a warning snarl reverberating in her throat. Spencer intercepted her.

"How are Carmen and Alice?" Spencer asked.

Ashley drew up short, her hot gold gaze sweeping the room. Her canines gleamed against her wide, cruelly beautiful mouth. "You are well?"

Spencer caressed Ashley's chest and angled her body against Ashley's side, her bare arm nestled against Ashley's breast. "I'm fine. Lauren tells me we're all very healthy."

"No one should touch you unless I'm present." Ashley focused a predatory gaze on Lauren, who kept her place but lowered her gaze to Ashley's shoulder.

"Lauren," Spencer said calmly, continuing to stroke Ashley, "tell the Alpha what you told me."

"The pups are broadcasting already." Lauren couldn't help but smile. "They're eager to run."

Ashley glanced at Spencer and grinned, her eyes shimmering to chocolate and her wolf calming. "You'll be busy with them."

Spencer threaded her arms around Ashley's waist and kissed her. "We'll be busy."

Lauren couldn't help but feel the bond of tenderness and passion between them, and her joy was tinged with heartache, knowing she could never share a mate bond, the final irrevocable joining. She backed away until her shoulder accidently touched Chelsea's. When Chelsea rested a hand at the base of her spine, the unexpected tenderness made her gasp. She had not been intimate with anyone in weeks, not even a casual tangle after a run. The absence of physical touch was a severe deprivation for a Were, and her body responded instantly. The blaze smoldering in her depths flared and she gritted her teeth to hold back a moan. She edged away. "I'm sorry."

"No," Chelsea said, "I am. I wasn't thinking."

Ashley watched them from across the room, her eyes narrowed. "I need food for the young. And you two need to talk." She slid her hand around the back of Spencer's neck and dragged her close for another kiss. "I'm taking them out for a run. Don't leave the Compound until I return."

Spencer slipped her fingertips beneath the waistband of Ashley's jeans and nipped her lip. "I won't. Stop snarling."

Ashley snarled again, but a smile softened her mouth. "Once they hunt, they'll be stronger. You can talk to them then."

"Good. Be careful."

"Always." Ashley kissed her hard, spun around, and pushed out through the door.

Spencer said to Chelsea, "I'll be at headquarters if anything else turns up in the lab work."

"Of course. We'll let you know right away." When Spencer had left, Chelsea said quietly, "What you're doing, it's not safe."

"I'm not taking anything the other females don't sometimes use."

"Not in the same quantities. And we don't really know how the drugs will react in your system. You can't be sure your body is metabolizing the chemicals. You could be inviting a dangerous buildup of toxins."

Lauren turned away, humiliated. "I don't have any choice."

"You do. I can think of a dozen unmated Weres who would be more than happy to answer your need."

"And what if I lose control?" Lauren dug her claws into her upper arms, focusing on the pain and not the terror flooding through her. "What if I bite? What if we mate?"

Chelsea came toward her, careful not to touch her, sensitive to how agonizing the slightest touch could be to a female in need. "And what if they welcomed your bite? What if you found a mate and you had to give up being alone?"

"You think that's why?"

"No, not entirely. I know why," Chelsea said quietly. "I was here when your parents brought you, remember?"

"I'm sorry," Lauren said. "I do remember. Of course I remember. I remember how kind you were to me. I remember you sitting by my bedside, wiping the fever sweat from my forehead, telling me over and over that I was going to be all right."

"And you are all right. You're a strong, healthy Were, and we all love you."

"Almost healthy," Lauren murmured.

"We're not certain. You know that. And what of your heart?" Chelsea asked. "We are more than our instincts. Our wolves may choose by instinct, but we mate with more than our bodies. We mate with our hearts and our minds. What about that?"

Lauren thought of Bo, of the pain in her eyes and the power in her body. She shuddered, remembering the feel of Bo's arms around her, Bo's hard body pressed against her back, her hot breath against her neck. She'd wanted to give Bo her throat. She'd almost begged Bo to let her answer her need. She would have accepted Bo's bite, returned it. And she would've despised herself. "I can't take the chance."

Chelsea gestured to the drug cabinet. "This is not the way."

"I know," Lauren murmured. Her system was rebelling, rejecting the drugs and possibly compromising her at the same time. She'd been through unrequited heat before and survived. She could again. She'd have to. She would not draw another Were into a mate bond that could prove deadly. "I'll find another way."

* * *

Bo paced circles in the small room, aching to shift, needing to run. Her hunger had been sated by the release ignited by Alex's bite, but the Alpha's call still echoed in her depths. The mindless craze of bloodlust could never satisfy the needs of her soul. Her wolf craved the touch of another wolf. She paused, feeling the familiar tingle of her wolf rising. Pelt feathered the midline of her belly. Her clitoris tensed. She breathed deeply and quivered. The tang of potent pheromones teased her tongue. Not the Alpha's call. She rumbled, her canines lifting her lip. Beside her, Alex was deep in her daytime somnolence and defenseless. Sunset was still half a day away, but they were sequestered in the heart of the Compound. No harm would come to Alex here.

Bo strode to the door and slid out into the hall. Aiden leaned against the wall across from her. While she was safeguarding Alex, Aiden had taken her place as Ashley's general. A necessary move, but a blow to her heart she could barely tolerate.

"Good to see you, _Imperator_," Aiden said, his craggy face breaking into a smile.

Bo bristled. "Shouldn't I be calling you that?"

He ducked his head at the challenge in her voice. Like all _centuri_, he was dominant, but Bo was subordinate only to the Alpha, and now the Alpha's mate. "I stand for you by the Alpha's command, but I will never take your place. We miss you."

"Just see that no harm comes to the Alpha," Bo snarled, "and guard Alex."

"I'll be here until you return."

Bo loped down the hall and out onto the wide split-log porch, drawn by a call that struck deep, inciting her wolf. Movement across the Compound drew her attention, and she sprang down onto the hard-packed earth, the ache in her belly exploding into furious need. Her heart hammered in her chest and her skin glistened with sex-sheen. Lauren leaned against a column on the barracks porch, her head tilted back, her eyes closed. Her arms hugged her middle and she trembled with need.

Bo leapt, clearing the distance between them in one powerful lunge.


	6. Chapter 6

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

_Kill quickly. Kill clean._

The Alpha's voice resonated in her mind as Alice raced through chest-high grass in the upland meadow, bearing down on her prey. The Alpha was running nearby, and so was Carmen, but all her senses were fixed on the shimmering form just ahead of her, leaping and jumping. She hadn't run free in weeks, hadn't felt the wind in her face, hadn't scented rich earth and pungent pine and the tang of fox and rabbit. Now she was strong again, and she was never going to let anyone catch her. Never let anyone chain her. She gathered all her strength and burst forward, striking her prey on the soft underside of its throat, biting deep, bringing it down swiftly and breaking its neck with a powerful twist of her shoulders. Quick. Clean. Her kill.

Alice raised her head and howled, claiming her victory. The Alpha loped down from the ridge and Carmen drew up on her flank, coming to share in the kill. Alice swung her head around and snarled at Carmen, warning her away. Carmen showed her teeth. Alice bristled and crouched, her tail stiff. Carmen was too dominant, a threat. The Alpha arrowed through the waving green stalks, the tips of her midnight ruff gleaming silver in the late-afternoon sunlight. She growled and shouldered Alice aside and circled the kill. Alice held her ground, rumbling deep in her chest, and the Alpha snarled, pinning her with a fixed stare. Alice looked away and Carmen crept nearer. The Alpha sniffed the kill and Alice rumbled again.

The Alpha whirled on her and charged, snapping and growling. Her jaws grazed Alice's muzzle and with a startled yip, she backed away. She raised her lip and the Alpha stalked her, ears stiff, hackles raised.

_You'll eat when I'm ready for you to eat._

The Alpha's command struck a chord deep inside her, igniting a primitive need for her to obey. The Alpha was everything she trusted, everything she depended on to bring order to a wild and dangerous world. Alice lowered her tail. The Alpha circled the kill again and shouldered first Alice, then Carmen forward. _Eat._

Carmen waited while Alice took the first bite, tearing off the choicest portion. Then Carmen fell on the carcass, and together, they shared in the kill. Despite her hunger, Alice stopped every few seconds and checked over her shoulder, watching for danger. Nowhere was safe.

_I'm here. I will protect you. Eat._

Whining softly, Alice acknowledged the Alpha's order, but she was still uneasy.

Ashley sat far enough from the kill site to see in all directions, watching for human hunters or roving bands of cat Weres from the mountains to the east. She didn't eat. She'd hunted with Spencer that morning. She watched Alice carefully, alert to a resurgence of her aggressive posture. Weres, regardless of their place in the hierarchy, were not usually aggressive over food. Alice had won the right to own the kill, but the natural thing would have been for her to share without contest. Her show of aggression toward Carmen and reluctance to submit to her Alpha's authority were signs she was losing her Pack connection. If she could not find her place in the Pack, she would have to leave, and she would not survive as a lone wolf. Not many Weres could, and those who managed it were those who had never formed strong Pack bonds to begin with. Those circumstances were rare and usually a result of a very young Were having no access to the Pack at a critical stage of development. Every few generations, a very dominant Were would leave to start their own Pack, but as territory was scarce, they often failed. Even the most dominant wolf Weres usually remained with the Pack, content to serve as _centuri_ or _sentries_ or to perform some critical function in human society. It was always hard to let one of the Pack go, and Ashley and her mother and the Alpha before her would do anything possible to prevent losing one of the Pack to the wilderness. If Alice broke with the Pack, Ashley could not allow her to stay in King High territory, and she was too young to command her own Pack. She would die alone.

Ashley grumbled, reminding the young hunters she was nearby. Reminding them they were not alone. Reminding them they were hers. She was not going to lose Alice.

* * *

Lauren felt the air change, as if the atmosphere was suddenly charged with electricity. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck lifted the way they did when a high wind blew down from the mountain, carrying storm clouds and rain. Her muscles tingled and blood rushed through her veins, stirring her wolf, calling her out to run. Her pelt streamed to the surface, pressing against the undersurface of her skin, threatening to burst free. The urge to tangle, to thrash and bite and fuck and join, knifed through her so sharply she wanted to howl. Moaning, she squeezed her arms tighter around her middle as if that would dull the churning desire. Her wolf coiled within her, ready to spring, ready to launch herself at the wolf careening down on her. Her wolf was demanding she tangle, demanding to be filled, to be tied. To mate.

Her call was answered with a resonant growl.

"No," Lauren gasped, her eyes snapping open. The porch shuddered under her bare feet and a blur of red-gray dropped into a crouch in front of her. Bo. Frenzied, coated in pheromones, her wolf riding her hard, unleashed and dangerous and so beautiful. The muscles in Bo's legs bunched, absorbing the shock of her landing, and Lauren imagined those strong hips pumping between her spread thighs, Bo's clitoris sliding along her hot cleft, making her come, forcing her victus to explode in torrents down the carved columns of Bo's legs. Her canines burst out and she fixed on the sculpted muscles in Bo's shoulders. She wanted to bury herself there, leave her mark. But she couldn't. She couldn't.

"Oh God, Bo," Lauren whispered. "What—"

"You called me," Bo growled, her cheekbones standing out in sharp relief, her eyes half-wolf, slanted and sharp. Her breasts were tight, her nipples hard, dusky discs, her abdomen a staircase of stone painted the color of blood. She straightened to her full height and stalked a step closer. "You've been calling me since yesterday."

"No." Lauren stumbled back and felt the porch post at her back. Her sex tightened and she couldn't stop the whine breaking from her throat. She fought to contain her wolf, but she was losing the struggle. The drugs were useless, overpowered by the hormonal storm of her heat. She'd denied herself too many times. But she was too close to abandoning all control. She'd never be able to contain her need to bite, to join and finish completely, and she couldn't risk inciting a bond. Somehow she had to drive Bo away. "No, no. I didn't mean to call you, I—"

"You never do," Bo snarled, bearing down on her, seeming so much larger even though she was only an inch or two taller. And then she was up against her, one arm high up on the post above Lauren's head, the other sliding around her hip, pinning her in place. Heat poured from her naked torso. Fire raged in her eyes, and her mouth—oh God, her mouth—was so gorgeous. The tips of her canines gleamed like pearl daggers and Lauren wanted them against her skin. "You never mean to call me, but you do."

"Oh," Lauren gasped, arching into her, tilting her head back to bare her neck. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't hold back, couldn't chain her wolf or her need.

"Why is it you never want to call me?" Bo's canines extended fully, her words now only a guttural growl. She sniffed Lauren's neck, licked the column of muscle running from her shoulder to her ear. "Why?"

"Please," Lauren whispered. Bo's teeth scraped along her throat and Lauren's legs went weak. She ached, mindlessly, and Bo was all she could feel. All she wanted. Her claws extended, ready to hold Bo to her, over her, inside her. "Please, Bo. I can't—"

"You can't what?" Bo rumbled. She kissed Lauren's jaw and thrust her pelvis into the valley between Lauren's thighs. "You can't tangle with me? Who, then?" Bo growled and nipped Lauren's lower lip. "You called me."

"No," Lauren said desperately. "No, I couldn't help—I couldn't stop—"

"I want you. I've always wanted you." Bo rubbed her breasts over Lauren's, her claws lightly scraping Lauren's belly.

The tiny scratches shot tendrils of pleasure between Lauren's legs and she whimpered. "I can't. Not now. I can't—"

"I can smell you, taste you," Bo said, licking her again. "You're ready."

"Just let me go," Lauren moaned, but she opened for her inside. Filled for her. "Not now…not now—"

A furious roar resounded across the clearing. "Get away from her!"

Bo whipped her head around, snarling a warning. Tamsin Skarsten charged across the Compound, growling a challenge. Bo coiled to attack the dominant_sentrie_ lieutenant, putting herself between Lauren and the challenger.

"Bo, no!" Lauren grabbed her, tried to hold her back.

Bo was past hearing. She was done bending to the will of others. She would give her throat to the Alpha, but only the Alpha. She had already given up her place leading the _centuri_, had subjugated herself to a Vampire's bite, but she would not give up this female to another. She'd given up too much already, everything that mattered to her, everything she thought she understood about herself and her life and her place in the world. She was done surrendering. She would have this female, and she would have her now. Bo reveled in the raw edge of pain as she shifted, snarling as her bones morphed and her wolf ascended, roaring with the glorious surge of power. She launched from the porch, eager for combat. She wasn't much older than Tamsin, but she was stronger, more dominant, and Tamsin was a few seconds slower in her shift. Bo hit her midshift in the center of her torso with all four legs, claws extended and jaws snapping. She rolled the smaller brown wolf and clamped onto her throat before Tamsin could protect her vulnerable, soft underbelly. But Tamsin was strong and agile, and her claws emerged as they fell onto the hard-packed earth. Claws dug gouges into Bo's belly, tearing through fur and skin and shredding muscles. Bo ignored the pain, closing her jaws tighter on Tamsin's windpipe, shaking her head, trying to crush the air from her lungs. Another wolf struck her shoulder out of nowhere and dislodged her hold just enough for Tamsin to break free.

In a fury, Bo rolled away and swung around, ready to tear into the interloper. A white wolf with amber eyes planted herself between Bo and Tamsin, offering no challenge, emitting no growl, telegraphing only calm strength. Lauren. Bo lifted her lip, growled a warning. She wouldn't hurt her, but she would not let herself be calmed. She would not be neutered now, and not by this wolf. _She_ would answer Lauren's call, her, her and no one else. Tamsin was on her feet again, blood soaking her ruff, her eyes wild with pain and sex frenzy. They both wanted Lauren, and one of them would die here. Bo lunged at Lauren, feigning an attack, trying to drive her away, but Lauren held her ground. She whined, not a frightened submissive cry, but a coaxing, imploring plea.

Lauren wanted mercy, but Bo had no mercy left. Only rage. Bo bunched her shoulders, growled a warning.

Lauren dug her claws into the earth, holding Bo's gaze, no anger in her eyes, only pain. Bo's heart tightened, but her wolf clamored for blood. She wanted to hurt the wolf that challenged her. She didn't want to be the one hurting anymore.

Tamsin circled out from behind Lauren, lips curled back, hackles raised, rumbling in continued challenge. Tamsin would not back down. She was too lost in the frenzy, wanting to claim Lauren, wanting to displace Bo from her position in the Pack. No more. Bo would give no more. Bo charged and Tamsin leapt. They crashed in midair, jaws clashing, claws raking, filling the Compound with wild roars. Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed open and another wolf vaulted into the center of the Compound, huge, silver, blue eyes as hot as boiling water.

_Enough!_ Spencer growled. _Stand down._

Bo snapped her jaws closed on Tamsin's foreleg, and Tamsin whimpered, thrashing and struggling to escape. Claws raked Bo's muzzle, tearing open the flesh beneath her eye. Pain exploded through her, but her fury blunted the agony. She was close now, close to a kill.

Spencer charged. Lauren tried to intercept her, racing into the melee, but the other wolves were larger, heavier, and she was no fighter. Spencer landed heavily on Bo's back, her huge jaws closing on Bo's neck. Her weight rolled Bo for an instant and Bo let go of Tamsin's leg. Spencer dragged her down and mounted her, and Bo snapped and clawed, lashing out, wild to get out from under the big silver wolf.

_Bo, hold your wolf. Bo!_ Spencer roared, pinning Bo down by her throat. _Stand down!_

Bo's senses filled with the power of the Prima, and the command echoed in her blood and her bones and her every cell—demanding she obey. She struggled to calm her wolf but she was too far gone, too wild for Lauren, too enraged by Tamsin's challenge. She thrashed and bucked and her canines caught Spencer's shoulder. Blood sprayed in her face and she tasted life. Rich, sweet, strong, and pure. Young. The Alpha's young.

Bo howled and gave up her throat, prepared to die.


	7. Chapter 7

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Bo went limp, tilting her muzzle back to surrender her throat. Spencer relaxed her jaws but continued to straddle her, her heart pounding wildly, her breath coming in sharp gasps. She wasn't certain she could trust Bo not to go after Tamsin or someone else if she released her. She wasn't sure Bo was in control of her wolf, or even in control of her own mind. The scent of pheromones and sex frenzy and mating heat blanketed the clearing with a thick cloud of stimulants that would make any wolf in the vicinity lose control. Add to that _which_ female was in heat, and she was surprised Bo had been able to bring her wolf to heel at all. From behind her a chorus of growls signaled the arrival of the _centuri_, racing from all corners of the Compound to coalesce in a snarling circle around her. If she didn't settle them down before they smelled her blood under all the blood spilled by Bo and Tamsin, they would tear Bo apart. Beneath her, Bo panted, her stomach board-rigid, her sex, hot and full to bursting, pressed to Spencer's belly.

Spencer started to ease her weight away, hoping if Bo felt less threatened she'd recover her sanity. A rush of fevered power washed over her and she halted midstride, her body going rigid. Ashley.

Ashley was racing toward the clearing, broadcasting mindless fury. The crack of trees branches snapping as Ashley forged a path straight to Spencer ricocheted through the Compound like gunshots. Her roar split the air like thunder. Spencer shuddered under the mental onslaught of her mate's wrath. She reached out to touch Ashley's mind, to reassure her, but met only red-hot rage. Ashley's wolf was in total control—no semblance of reason remained in Ashley's consciousness. Bo was about to die, and Bo's blood spilled in the heart of their Pack land would destroy Ashley. Beneath her, Bo lay on her back, neck extended, silent. Resigned. Next to her, Lauren inched closer—as if to put her body between Bo and the Alpha. Seconds, even less, and the Pack would be torn apart. Spencer had no time. She lunged, caught Bo's throat in her jaws, and squeezed. She clamped down slowly, relentlessly, until Bo shuddered and lay still.

Lauren nosed Bo's still form and howled, a broken cry that shattered the sky.

An enormous black wolf burst into the clearing and surged toward them, jaws wide, snarling viciously. Spencer straddled Bo, keeping the defenseless wolf in the protective shadow of her body. She'd compressed the arteries in Bo's neck until she'd lost consciousness, but she wasn't sure how long Bo would remain unconscious. If Bo woke now, she would die.

_Ashley! I'm all right. It's done._

Lauren, so much smaller, vaulted into Ashley's path and Ashley swung her heavy head at her with a sharp growl, knocking her aside. Lauren landed ten feet away with a whimper. Ashley gathered her powerful shoulders and went airborne, aiming for Bo's throat.

_Ashley! No!_Spencer lowered herself over Bo's motionless body. She couldn't challenge Ashley in front of her Pack, nor would she if she could. Ashley was driven by the prime instinct—to protect her mate and her young. Spencer would do the same.

_Mine, Ashley. She is mine to kill._

Ashley twisted in midlunge and landed facing Spencer, her gaping jaws hovering over Bo's head. Saliva dripped from her canines, madness rode in her gold eyes. _You're bleeding. She dies._

_No._Spencer nosed Ashley's face._It's nothing. A scratch. An accident._

Beneath her, Bo twitched and whimpered. Ashley snarled.

_She submitted to me. I put her down. Let your wolves see I am truly Prima._

Bo shuddered and shifted to skin, and Spencer eased forward, sidling up to Ashley. She licked Ashley's muzzle and rubbed her nose under Ashley's jaw.

Rumbling, Ashley rested her head on Spencer's neck._You're all right?_

Spencer flicked her ears. _Fine. But our wolves need attention._

Bo pushed up to her knees on the hard-packed earth, blood running between her clenched hands down her abdomen and onto her naked thighs. Head bowed, she waited for Ashley to tear her throat out, and Spencer was not going to let that happen. She would lose both of them then. She shifted to skin and Ashley morphed instantly, catching Spencer around the waist and pulling her roughly against her bare chest.

Ashley sniffed her, licked her throat, kissed her bruisingly. Her canines scraped Spencer's lip. "What happened?"

Spencer kissed her. "I'm fine. It was an accident. I promise you."

"What happened? Why were you fighting? Where are your guards?" Ashley threw her head back and howled in fury. "Who hurt you?"

"I did, Alpha," Bo said hollowly.

Ashley grabbed her by the neck and pulled her to her feet, her face millimeters from Bo's. "I should kill you."

"I know."

Ashley shuddered, her wolf coursing just below her skin. She panted, the muscles in her chest and abdomen rippling beneath a dusting of obsidian. She was still half-wolf and more than half-mad.

Spencer ran a hand down her back. "Ashley, she was fighting with Tamsin. I put myself in the middle. Bo did not attack me. _And I put her down_."

Ashley growled continuously, struggling not to rip Bo's throat out. Her claws punctured Bo's neck. Crimson streaked Bo's throat.

The _centuri_ crept closer, Kenzi and Vex snarling wildly. They were young dominants, less capable of controlling their wolves than the others, and they were both nearly frenzied from the scent of sex and blood and the Alpha's rage. In another minute they'd attack any wolf in their path.

"Ashley," Spencer murmured, caressing her chest. "We have injured. Tamsin needs medical attention. So does Bo."

"So do you," Ashley snapped.

"I'm all right, it's a scratch."

"You're _bleeding_." Agony contorted Ashley's face and Spencer gripped her hair, pulled her head close.

"You came when I needed you. You always do." She kissed Ashley hard, bit her lip, stroked the small puncture with her tongue. She rubbed against Ashley, letting her essence mingle with Ashley's. "I am not hurt."

Ashley shuddered. "If you were—if the young…"

"We're fine." Spencer kissed her again. "Calm your wolves, Alpha."

Ashley breathed in Spencer's scent and closed her eyes. Broadcasting her power, she settled her Pack. One by one the wolves in the clearing shimmered and took skin form. Tamsin lay on the ground groaning softly, holding her twisted and bleeding right arm against her chest. Lauren got unsteadily to her feet, a purplish bruise on her jaw. Bo slumped to the ground, cradling her midsection. Blood seeped between her fingers.

"Aiden," Spencer called. "Clothes."

Aiden bounded into the barracks and returned with an armful of T-shirts and pants. Lauren pulled on a navy blue T-shirt and jeans. Most of the others just took pants.

"Take Tamsin to the infirmary," Spencer said to Aiden, pulling on jeans.

"Yes, Prima."

Aiden lifted Tamsin and carried her inside. Lauren crouched beside Bo, gripped her arm, and murmured, "Let me see your stomach."

"Leave me," Bo rasped.

"No." Lauren stroked Bo's blood-soaked hair. "I won't."

Ashley stared down at Bo, her eyes flat arid plains. "Isolate her."

Lauren spun around on her knees, but her head was up and her eyes challenging. "No! She needs medical attention."

Ashley towered over Lauren, her anger raising the hair on Spencer's arms. "You challenge me?"

"I am a medic." Lauren took a shuddering breath. "She can't be left alone. I…This is my fault, Alpha."

Bo moaned and tried to rise. "No. I am at fault."

Ashley paced. "Until I know what happened, Bo is confined to the infirmary." She signaled Dyson. "Guard the door. She does not leave the room."

Dyson's eyes widened but he nodded curtly. "Yes, Alpha."

Spencer didn't object. Ashley had no choice. She had to restore order, and she could not appear indecisive when surrounded by dominant wolves. If she wavered, she would be challenged, and although she would undoubtedly be victorious, the Pack would be unsettled. Now, with the threat of outside enemies, the Pack must stand strong.

"I want to go with her," Lauren said.

"You can tend to her injuries," Ashley said.

"Thank you," Lauren said, running trembling fingers through Bo's hair, an unconscious movement Spencer was certain she had no awareness of.

"I'll look in on her in a few minutes," Spencer said to Lauren, "just to be sure you don't need help."

"Thank you, Prima," Lauren said softly. She wrapped her arm around Bo's shoulder. "I'm not sure she can walk."

Bo pushed to her knees. "I don't need help."

Spencer leaned over and picked her up. "Your life is mine now, _Imperator_. Don't forget it."

"Yes, Prima," Bo murmured, her eyes closed.

_Rest now._ Spencer carried her up the steps of the infirmary. _Let us help you._

* * *

Bo burned with the agony of failure. Spencer had laid her down on the treatment table and left her with Lauren. "I don't need treatment. I'll heal."

"You need these wounds cleaned," Lauren said.

She didn't want Lauren to touch her. She didn't deserve her care. She had lost in battle, she had dishonored her rank, she had threatened the Prima. She didn't know why she was still alive.

"This is going to hurt," Lauren said, taking Bo's hands from her belly and placing them by her sides on the table, exposing her torn abdomen. Four jagged parallel lacerations stretched from just below her breastbone on the right side across her belly to her left hip, deep gouges that penetrated through the muscles and verged on opening her abdominal cavity. Ragged bits of flesh protruded from the wounds. Gently, Lauren rinsed the blood away with saline-soaked gauze. Then, because local anesthetics had no effect on Were physiology, she trimmed the damaged tissue without anesthetic. Even when she lifted the jagged flap on Bo's face to remove the grit from the tear beneath her eye, Bo lay still, a low rumble reverberating in her chest. Bo stared at the ceiling as if she were blind, but Lauren knew her gaze had turned inward where she was examining herself and finding only fault.

"What happened out there was my fault," Lauren said. "I'm so sorry."

"You're not to blame," Bo said, her voice echoing hollowly. "You're in heat. You have the right to say no when a Were answers your call and you don't want them."

Lauren's hands trembled and she set the instruments down. "You don't understand."

Finally, Bo looked at her, her eyes bleak. "I understand. You want Tamsin. Not me. You've never wanted me."

"I don't want anyone," Lauren said.

"That's not what your wolf says. Your call is stronger every time. Don't you think I've felt it before, when you fought it and lost? When you finally tangled with someone else?" Bo gripped the table, her claws scoring the honed wood surface. "Why do you fight what's natural, deny what you need?"

Lauren placed a clean bandage over Bo's belly. "Once you've rested, you should shift. You'll heal these wounds faster. Right now, you've lost a lot of blood and your wolf will be weak if you shift. In the morning—"

"I am not weak." Bo grabbed Lauren's wrist, her strength astounding after all she'd been through. "And you are avoiding the answer. Why do you resist?"

Lauren licked her lips. She'd never told anyone. The only ones who knew were the Alpha and Chelsea, and they only knew because the Alpha knew everything that happened in the Pack, even the things that had happened before she assumed leadership. And Chelsea knew because Chelsea had saved her life. Holding so many secrets was so hard. "I don't want to mate. When I'm in heat—I can't control my wolf."

"Every wolf wants to mate."

"Really? You don't."

Bo looked away, the gesture so astounding Lauren caught her breath. She gripped Bo's hand. "Why is that, _Imperator_?"

Bo's head snapped around. "Don't call me that."

"Why? You think because the Alpha is angry that changes anything? You are who you are, Bo. While you breathe, there will never be another _imperator_."

"Ashley will never trust me now."

Bo's desolation bruised Lauren's heart. "You don't know what the Alpha will do. The Prima is pregnant, you know that, don't you?"

Bo's eyes gleamed, pride and joy glowing in them. "Yes. I know."

"Then you know everything is changing. The Alpha will be unpredictable until after the young are born. She won't be able to control her wolf as easily. She needs us—you—now more than ever. She needs us to be strong."

Bo shuddered. "I don't know how to help her."

"Yes, you do. You need to do what you've always done—give her good counsel, protect her Pack."

"She doesn't need that from me now. She has the Prima."

"Bo, don't you see?" Lauren shook her head and skimmed her fingers through Bo's hair. "She needs to be free to protect her mate, and you can help her by uncovering our enemies, by ensuring we are all safe. She needs her general in command."

Bo couldn't let herself hope, and she was so weary. The soothing touch of Lauren's hand in her hair was the only thing keeping her from shifting and fighting her way out of the cage Ashley had closed around her. She brushed her cheek over Lauren's palm. "Are you going to tell me why you don't want a mate?"

Lauren answered because Bo's need was too strong to deny. "I can't bear young."

Bo's eyes narrowed. "What? How do you know that?"

Lauren looked away. "I've always known. An injury—when I was very young. Before I came here."

Bo snarled. "Who hurt you?"

"It doesn't matter. My parents got me away before the other Alpha had me killed for being…defective. Ashley's mother took us into this Pack."

"Killed you?" Bo tried to rise, her wolf in a fury. "Who—"

"Bo, Bo…don't." Lauren pulled Bo's head to her chest, stroking her face. "It's over—long ago."

Bo closed her eyes and pressed her face to Lauren's breast. Lauren's scent was so pure, so clean and sharp. Bo's blood surged and her clitoris tightened. Someone had hurt Lauren, tried to destroy her. Bo growled.

"It's all right." Lauren kissed the top of her head, stroked her neck and her back, soothing her. "Don't rage for me. I'm alive, I have the Pack. I have my parents." She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath. "But it's not fair to any other Were to risk a mate bond with me. When I'm in heat, when the frenzy is overpowering, I can't control my need. And if I lose control and bite, I might accidentally invite a bond."

"What if your mate doesn't care about not having young?"

Lauren's heart leapt. What was Bo saying? What was she offering? But there was more, more than she could ever reveal to anyone, even Bo. So she smiled and shook her head. "Why have a mate when you can't produce young? I would rather tangle without being tied to any one Were."

Bo looked up, searching her face. "That's what you want? To tangle with whoever happens to be available?"

Lauren forced herself to shrug, feigning nonchalance. "Why not, as long as they're not interested in mating? Isn't that what you do? With Sherry and the others?"

"I don't want a mate either," Bo said. She didn't tangle with susceptible females in heat who might want a mate, and she was careful not to bite at critical moments and accidentally induce a bond. She wouldn't have answered Lauren's call while she was in heat if she'd been able to help herself, but she couldn't stop. Lauren's need was too great, and her wolf too set on answering. She wanted her still. Lauren's heat had waned from all the stress of the last few hours, but when it returned, Bo knew she would want her. She didn't care. She wasn't worried about a mate bond. She'd never been compelled to induce one, and Lauren's fear of not being able to have young meant nothing to her. She never planned on having young. She was a soldier, and she didn't plan on orphaning young the way she had been orphaned. Her only role was to guard the Alpha. Let others bear the responsibility of raising young.

"Then you understand."

Bo growled. She didn't want Lauren tangling with other Weres. "So you're going to tangle with Tamsin?"

"No." Lauren sighed. "Tamsin won't force herself on me, and I'm not going to tangle with her. She's too young, too dominant, and she's going to want more."

"She'll want you to carry her mark."

"I know." Lauren turned away and gathered up the instruments. "You should sleep. I'll bring you some food. Once you've eaten and rested, you can shift so your wolf will heal."

"Will she?"

Lauren looked over her shoulder, her heart aching. Bo was so pale, her eyes so devastated. "Your wolf is stronger than you know. So are you. Now is not the time to run and hide."

Bo stiffened and she snarled. "Be careful, Omega."

Lauren grinned. "You should listen to your wolf more often, Bo. She sees things more clearly than you do."

"I don't want a mate bond. I know how to avoid a bite, and I crave something else."

Lauren wrapped her arms around her middle, knowing Bo was trying to push her away even as she offered to tangle. "The Vampires, you mean."

"Yes."

"You aren't the only Were who craves a Vampire's bite. Are you trying to shock me?"

"I'm only trying to tell you that we're more alike than you think."

Lauren nodded. "Perhaps. Will you rest now?"

Bo was silent for a long moment. "Will you stay?"

Lauren's heart bled, but she forced a smile. "Yes. For a little while."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rated M**

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

"Alpha," Chelsea said quietly, "perhaps you should wait outside."

Ashley stopped her furious pacing and took two rapid steps toward her _medicus_, her eyes flashing from dark chocolate to gold so quickly it seemed her wolf was more in control than she was. "Not while my mate is in here."

Spencer sat up on the exam table and caught Ashley's gaze. "It will just be a few more minutes. Chelsea will clean it and we'll be done."

"I can't leave," Ashley said, a fine shiver coursing over her body. "Just hurry."

Spencer glanced at Chelsea. "As soon as I shift, these will heal. I think I need to go now."

Chelsea rapidly cleansed the gouges on Spencer's shoulder with an antiseptic, removing dirt and bits of stone from where Spencer had crouched in pelt over Bo in the courtyard. "Go. She needs you."

Spencer hopped down from the table and grasped Ashley's arm. "Come with me."

Ashley couldn't concentrate, couldn't think of anything except the panic that had overtaken her out in the forest when she'd sensed Spencer in danger. Then her shoulder had burned as if she'd been shot, and she knew Spencer was hurt. All reason had fled. All she knew was she needed to get to her, needed to protect her, needed to destroy whoever had threatened her family. She would have run a thousand miles, until her heart gave out, to reach her. And now, all that adrenaline, all those primal hormones, cascaded through her body and she needed Spencer. She needed to feel her, smell her, taste her, claim her. She let Spencer drag her down the hall and into an empty room before her restraint completely broke. She slammed the door, grasped Spencer by the shoulders, and pushed her against the wall. And at last her mouth was on Spencer's neck, her hands shredding Spencer's jeans, her clitoris tight and ready. She panted, her pelt flowing down the center of her abdomen, her claws erupting. "I need you. I need you now."

"I know," Spencer moaned, hooking the waistband of Ashley's jeans and tearing them off. She kicked away what was left of her pants and straddled Ashley's hips, opening herself. She grasped Ashley's shoulders. "Now. Take me. Hurry."

Groaning, Ashley grasped Spencer's ass to hold her up and rubbed her clitoris over Spencer's, feeling their heat and their hardness and their hormones blending. The shadow of her bite on Spencer's shoulder pulsed and she pressed her mouth to it, letting her canines puncture the skin enough for their essences to meld. She drove into her, desperate to connect.

"More," Spencer cried, gripping the back of Ashley's neck. "Bite."

Spencer's command, the heat of her sex closing around her, the need to drive away the terror, forced Ashley deeper. Spencer sank teeth into her and Ashley came with a roar, the bright shining pain of Spencer's bite on her breast pushing her over. She thrust, the muscles in her ass rippling with each surge of her release. She released until she was empty and dropped to her knees, Spencer still wrapped around her, holding her inside.

"I need you," Ashley gasped, her chest heaving.

"I'm yours," Spencer murmured, stroking Ashley's soaked hair, the harsh bones in her face, the sinful softness of her mouth. "I promise you, I will not leave you. I will protect our young. You don't have to fear."

Ashley shuddered and buried her face in the curve of Spencer's shoulder. "I never knew a need so great. I don't know how my father survived when my mother…" She raised her head, her eyes dark with loss. "I wouldn't live. Without you—"

Spencer pressed her fingers to Ashley's mouth, brushed her thumb over the point of her canine, and kissed her. "I'm so sorry you lost them. You won't lose me. I will always come home to you." Spencer slid both hands into Ashley's hair, holding her head, kissing her deeply, letting Ashley taste her. She rubbed her breasts over Ashley's chest, letting Ashley feel her. Gliding her sex against Ashley's belly, she coated Ashley with her _victus_. Marking her. "You're mine. I'm yours. Do you hear?"

Holding Spencer tightly, Ashley stretched her out on the smooth plank floor. She rose above her, settling her hips between Spencer's thighs. Gently this time, she let her clitoris stroke between the swollen folds of Spencer's sex. Spencer whimpered and lifted her hips for more. Ashley kissed Spencer's mouth, her throat, her chest. She sucked her nipples and licked her way down the valley between the ridges of muscles in Spencer's belly. She took Spencer's engorged clitoris into her mouth and sucked her slowly. Her mind was hers again and she wanted Spencer to know she was cherished. Beyond need, beyond even passion, she was loved.

"Ashley, you'll make me come." Spencer twisted her fingers in Ashley's hair and Ashley licked her. "So soon. So good."

Ashley closed her eyes and gripped Spencer's hips, lifting her into her mouth. She sucked her, licked her, drank her. And when Spencer hardened in her mouth, she entered her, claiming her everywhere. With a hoarse cry, Spencer came in her mouth.

"I love you," Ashley groaned, rising above her. Her heart holding Spencer's, she came, surrendering all to her mate.

* * *

Shane withdrew her incisors from the neck of the young Were and licked the puncture sites closed. The female shuddered against her, her wolf-slanted eyes ringed in gold and glazed from her release. Her canines glistened against her full lip. Her hips pumped languidly as she continued to empty, the stimulants Shane had injected into her bloodstream still exciting her. Shane groaned, the rush of vigor flooding her system as pleasurable as the orgasm that accompanied the rejuvenation.

Madison ran her fingers down the center of Shane's abdomen, lightly grazing her clitoris. She ignored the Were host, a new and very eager volunteer. "I think you're developing more than a passing taste for them, darling."

Shane leaned up on her elbow and kissed Madison. "I seem to remember your frequent visits with the Were Alpha."

Madison smiled, her eyes glittering. "True, Were blood is potent, and that of an Alpha? Infinitely more satisfying than any human _or_ Were."

"Speaking of the Alpha," Shane said carefully, "what do you plan to do about her if the Shadow Lords call for her death?"

Madison slid from bed and poured champagne from the nearby ice bucket Sasha had left at sunfall while they enjoyed the host. She filled a second glass and handed it to Shane. "The Shadow Lords are short-sighted, I'm afraid. That's the problem when working with lessers. The humans' vision is so limited. The Fae really only care about protecting the secret locations of the Faerie gates. And the Weres?" She laughed. "Far too volatile—their instincts rule their brains far too often."

"Ashley doesn't strike me as impulsive." Shane sat on the side of the bed and sipped champagne, enjoying Madison's evening routine. The servants had filled the brass clawfoot tub with scented bathwater, and Madison slid into the water, tilting her head back against the cushioned headrest with a languorous sigh. Her breasts rose above the layer of ivory bubbles, her dark nipples firm.

"I think eliminating Ashley would only introduce an unknown and potentially even more dangerous factor—a new Alpha, to begin with, and then almost certainly a power struggle between the various Were Packs. No one dares challenge her, but with her gone?" Madison leisurely sponged her arms with the fragrant water, then let the sponge float away and cupped both breasts, running her fingertips over her nipples in slow, sensuous circles. "While chaos among the wolf Weres would definitely turn public opinion against any possibility of giving them legitimate civil status, we would likely feel the backlash as well."

"Better the enemy you know?" Shane pulled on a pair of pants and crossed to a velvet settee facing Madison. Stretching out, she sipped champagne and enjoyed the rise of power that accompanied her feeding. A soft growl came from the young Were on the bed as she came to her senses. She'd been tasty. Her blood was rich, strong, and the heat of her blood filled Shane's belly. Her sex throbbed. She was potent now and would be for some hours. As her orgasm had pulsed with each swallow, she'd thought not of the Were whose blood she drank, but of the young female she'd had in the lab. Carmen, just out of adolescence, was a dominant female whose taste lingered in her mind. She brushed her fingertips over her chest and down her belly, imaging how Carmen would taste as she came into her full power. Her clitoris throbbed. Madison was right, as always. She was developing a taste for Weres—at least one female.

"Speaking of Ashley," Madison said casually, "the governor's fund-raising gala is this weekend, and all of the Coalition heads will be there."

"As will you, as Chancellor of the City."

"Yes." Madison opened her legs and drew the sponge up her thighs. She raised one knee, exposing a long expanse of tan flesh.

Shane's sex swelled, and she freed the top button of her pants, letting her fingers drift lower. Madison's attention fixed on her movements, and a ripple of satisfaction heated Shane's chest. She enjoyed knowing she could still tease her mistress as much as her mistress teased her. "What about Isaac? Will he be there?"

"Oh, I expect he will. He might privately want the Weres destroyed, but publicly he pretends to be neutral. Playing politics." Madison's fingers slid higher between her legs and her mouth curved in pleasure. "Jenny Schecter has requested our service again."

Shane sat up, the champagne flute dangling between her fingers. "Oh? More help with her studies?" Perhaps she had more Were subjects who required a Vampire's bite. The idea wasn't as appealing now that Carmen had been freed.

"In a way. She'd like us to supply her with bodyguards."

Shane frowned. "Bodyguards? And does she intend to be open about having Vampires in her employ?"

"Apparently, yes. In addition to the work she does for our cause, she has a legitimate profession. She's a renowned researcher and heads a lab at the university."

"So appearing to embrace Praetern diversity would be good for her."

"Exactly. Actually, a very good cover."

"You're going to agree to her request?"

"Mmm, yes. This is an opportunity for us to have someone inside Issac's operation. We've never had that before. And of course, if we provide someone who is able to satisfy whatever else Dr. Schecter requires, the good doctor will be grateful. Gratitude, darling, is the first step to allegiance."

Shane smiled. One of the many things she admired about Madison was her ability to plan for the long game. After all, Vampires had nothing if not time. She'd also learned much from standing at Madison's right hand for centuries—enough to know that what she admired most in her mistress was also something to be feared. Alliances and allegiances were as fluid as time itself in Madison's dominion. "You have someone in mind for the job?"

"Someone completely trustworthy, of course. I'd send you, darling, but I can't do without you."

Shane sipped champagne. "That's nice to know."

Madison laughed. "Did you ever doubt it?"

Shane set the glass aside and strode to the tub. She picked up the sponge and pushed it beneath the water, skating the slightly rough surface down Madison's abdomen and between her thighs. She drew it over Madison's sex in slow circles, watching Madison's eyes blaze scarlet as she teased her. When Madison hissed a warning that she'd had enough toying, Shane knelt, let the sponge float to the surface, and slid her fingers deeper. Madison arched, her lids nearly closed.

"I remain loyal to you," Shane said, "but how long will I be useful to you?"

"Always," Madison gasped, pushing down on Shane's fingers. She grasped Shane's arm, her nails cutting crescents into the undersurface of Shane's wrist. "Always, darling."

Shane kissed her as Madison came around her fingers. "Then I am yours to command."

* * *

Lauren broke out into a sweat, sex hormones coating her skin. She pushed away from the treatment table and paced to the far side of the room. The Alpha was tangling, and the power of her call permeated the Compound. Lauren's heat returned with a vengeance, and she filled and ached and trembled. Bo was too close. Too close, too beautiful, too potent. And injured. "I have to go."

Bo turned her head. "Where?"

"Just…out." Lauren forced a smile. "You promised you'd rest."

"I smell you. I taste you on my tongue. Every breath you take, I scent your need." Bo pushed up on her elbows. The wounds in her stomach were starting to close, but blood still seeped from them. "I'm stronger than you think."

"I know how strong you are, _Imperator._ But you're not strong enough for what you're suggesting." Lauren smiled wanly. "If I stay…we're both going to frenzy."

"What are you going to do?" Bo grumbled ominously—the warning of a possessive Were not to threaten what was hers. "Who—"

"I'm going to feed Alex."

Bo's eyes darkened. "And end up craving mindless blood sex?"

"I don't think I will," Lauren said. "I'm stronger than you think too."

Bo's claws and canines erupted. "I don't want Alex fucking you."

"I said I was going to let her _feed_," Lauren said quietly, choosing not to point out that Bo had no say in who she tangled with, or how. "That will be enough for my…needs."

"I don't trust her."

Lauren regarded her steadily. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life," Bo said quickly.

Lauren nodded. "Good. I feel the same. Trust is more important than anything else."

"If she hurts you—"

"She won't."

"You don't know that." Bo pushed to a sitting position, wincing, blood pooling at the base of her belly. "You don't know what she's like when the bloodlust takes her."

Lauren smiled and shook her head. "Bo, I'm a Were. Nothing is as wild as a Were in frenzy. If I could handle you, I can handle her."

Bo growled. "You challenge me again."

Lauren didn't want to challenge her, she wanted to calm her. She wanted to touch her, despite the risk. She crossed the room and brushed Bo's tangled auburn hair away from her haunted eyes. "Never. But I won't let you dominate me either. I'm not submissive."

Bo grasped Lauren's hips and jerked her between her legs. She kissed the base of Lauren's throat, letting her canines press into Lauren's neck. Lauren gasped. Bo licked her. "I know what you are, Omega. You might stand outside the hierarchy, but I know you burn."

Lauren grabbed Bo's hair and yanked her head away. She stared down at her, her hazel eyes alight with power. "Don't try to seduce me now. I told you why I won't mate. I trusted you."

"And I told you I don't care." Bo rubbed her cheek against Lauren's breast. "You have to tangle with someone, why not me? I won't ask anything of you."

Lauren's heart lurched. So simple. She should be happy. She wasn't. "It doesn't matter. You're in no shape to tangle right now, whether you'll admit it or not."

"I know you can't wait," Bo said. "But there will be other times."

Lauren stepped away. "And you have more important duties, _Imperator_. You need to heal, and you need to make peace with the Alpha. The Pack needs you."

Bo gripped the table so hard the wood creaked. "And what about my needs?"

"The Alpha's needs are your needs. Have you forgotten that?"

Bo stared at the floor. She'd let herself think the Prima had taken her place, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she'd been lying to herself her whole life, and she'd been waiting for the one time Ashley didn't reject her offer to serve her need. But then Ashley had mated and she didn't know where she belonged anymore. She looked at Lauren. "I thought everything changed when she mated."

"I know," Lauren said softly. "Everything _has_ changed and will probably change again, but some things will always be. Ashley is Alpha. And you are her second. She depends on you. She needs you. Stop being a coward."

Bo launched off the table and landed in front of Lauren with a snarl. She grasped Lauren's shoulders and lifted her up on her toes until they were nose to nose. "You test me."

Lauren's chin shot up. "You should be tested. Someone needs to."

Bo covered Lauren's mouth with hers and kissed her hard, sucking, biting, licking. Lauren's claws raked down her back, drawing blood, and Bo's clitoris stiffened. Before she forced Lauren against the wall and took her, she pushed Lauren away. "And someone needs to kiss you the way you should be kissed."

Lauren's breasts heaved and her eyes bored fire into Bo's. "Damn you."

"When Alex's teeth are in your throat and she makes you come, think of me."

_I always think of you._ Lauren wrenched away and raced from the room.

Bo slumped back against the treatment table and crawled up onto it. She curled on her side and clutched her burning stomach. If she thought about Alex making Lauren come, she'd want to kill Alex. She laughed bitterly. And Alex couldn't be killed. She was already dead.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rated M**

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Stef went from dreamless oblivion to total awareness the instant her eyes opened. She immediately scanned the surroundings for danger. Her guards were outside the door, an agitated Were paced farther down the hall, and distantly, the life force of the entire Pack beckoned as a single heart beating. Her incisors unsheathed and hunger as endless as eternity seethed inside her. The bed beside her was empty, but Lena was near. Lena's heartbeat, the steady pulse of blood flowing through her arteries and veins, her soft breaths, eclipsed everything in Stef's world. All but the need to feed.

Blood barely flowed in her body now, a protective mechanism to prevent complete depletion of the scarce oxygen-carrying compounds between feedings. After she fed, her heart would beat for a short time, her cells would activate, she would be sexually potent. In those moments, she would come as close to living as was possible while still being something other than alive. Her biological drive demanded she feed, and if she delayed, she risked a blood rampage. If hunger overpowered her control, she'd cut a deadly swath through every living creature in her path until she was sated or staked. Need gnawed at her guts, and she focused on the scent of the nearest host. Lena. So deliciously alive.

"Get out," Stef rasped.

"You're awake." Lena spun around from the desk where she had been typing up notes on the details she'd been given of the raid on the secret lab. She wasn't sure when she'd be able to go public with any of it—but she was used to spending months digging out facts on a story. And no story had ever been more important to her—or as personal. Across from her, Stef lay as she had all day, staring up at the ceiling, her arms by her sides, her sharply handsome face tense even at rest. But unlike when she had been somnolent, now her naked body vibrated with tension. "What do you need?"

"Go," Stef ordered. "I await a host. Go, Lena."

"You need my blood, though, don't you," Lena said. "Your transition isn't yet complete, and I am your bonded blood mate. You need the compatible blood I carry."

One second, Stef was on the bed; the next she was in front of Lena, stalking toward her so fiercely Lena almost took a step back. Stef's incisors were dangerous spikes glittering against her pale lips, her eyes as bright and hot as purest flame. Her face was knife-edged with need. Lena took a breath, steadied her voice. "Tell me I'm wrong, Vampire."

"Don't argue with me," Stef said slowly, as if each word was a terrible effort. She stopped with her body millimeters from Lena. "I will drain you."

"No, you won't. You didn't last night and you were practically insane then."

"I have a ready host. You are not needed." Stef turned her head to the closed door and though she made no sound, a second later it opened and Captain Roberts stepped inside.

"You called, Liege?" Roberts wore a white silk shirt open between her breasts and tight, tapered black pants. She was barefoot. Her nipples were dusky circles beneath the sheer material, and her eyes, fixed on Stef's face, glistened with anticipation.

"She needs to feed," Lena said, grasping Stef's forearm. "And I'm staying."

Roberts's surprised gaze flickered between Lena and Stef, but she said nothing. Stef's arm was a steel band beneath Lena's fingers, the only outward sign of her struggle for control. Lena supposed if she was smart, she'd leave and let Stef feed from Roberts alone, but she wouldn't concede to Stef's fear of hurting her. If they were to have a true relationship, she needed to be part of Stef's life, including this part. She might not be as strong or resilient as a Were or as acclimated to giving blood as a human servant like Roberts, but she was Stef's blood mate. And she wasn't leaving Stef alone with another woman, blood servant or not. Stef was hers.

"You need this," Lena said, dropping her robe so she too was naked. She grasped Stef's arm. "Come back to bed."

"Lena," Stef said dangerously, her gaze caressing Lena's nipples until they hardened from the heat of her glance, "you play a dangerous game."

Lena shook her head, her heart hammering and her skin electric. "Oh no, I'm not playing at all."

"Always so stubborn." Stef lifted her so effortlessly Lena barely managed not to cry out in surprise.

Then they were on the bed, Stef hovering just above her, Roberts somehow beside her, their bodies lightly touching. Lena wrapped her arms around Stef's waist and slid her hands up and down Stef's back. Her skin was smooth and cold as marble. Oh God, she couldn't feel even a single heartbeat. She stroked Stef's face. So very cold. "Hurry, Stef."

"Roberts," Stef said without looking away from Lena, "are you ready?"

"Yes, Liege," Roberts whispered, turning on her side, pressing even closer to Lena.

Roberts' silk shirt brushed over Lena's breast like a gentle breeze. Roberts' voice had gotten slow and lethargic, as if she were drugged, and Lena realized she was. Thrall was very much like a drug. Roberts' hand drifted to Lena's hip and Lena didn't move away. Roberts was giving her lover life—she should not be alone.

"Do it, darling," Lena murmured, watching Stef's face, mesmerized by the intensity of her gaze, the hypnotic tone of her voice. "I want to be here with you completely. Don't enthrall me."

"You want to see me?" Stef's eyes became impossibly deep. "Watch."

Stef slid one arm around Lena's shoulders and lowered her head. Her lips caressed Lena's fleetingly before she took Roberts' throat in a single rapid plunge. Roberts gasped and her breath came out in a long, shuddering moan. Stef swallowed and her hips thrust between Lena's thighs.

"Oh," Lena whispered, her body igniting. She wrapped both legs around Stef's hips and fit her breasts to Stef's. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to Stef's shoulder, feeling Stef grow warm beneath her hands. This was Stef's life. Hers now. She had given Stef this existence with her own blood, freely and without regret. Stef's orgasm, Roberts' ecstatic groans, the life pulsating under her hands, pushed Lena close to climax. She groaned and pulled herself back. She wanted Stef. When Stef raised her head, Roberts fell away from them with a sharp cry.

"Oh God, Stef," Lena moaned. "I need you now." She turned her head to the side, exposing her neck. "I need you. I love you. Please."

The world exploded. Pleasure so exquisite she lost her breath, lost her voice, lost her sanity. Fire consumed her, burning her to ash from the inside out. Stef devoured her at the same time as she filled her. Power surged through every cell of Lena's body.

Lena came back to herself when she felt Stef moving away. She gripped Stef's hand. "Where are you going?"

Stef leaned down and kissed her. "To see that Roberts is protected while she recovers. I want to be alone with you."

"Don't go far."

"Never." Stef lifted Roberts, whose head lolled against Stef's shoulder in post-orgasmic languor. The door opened and a dark-haired Vampire dressed all in black stepped in.

"Liege."

"Dani." Stef passed Roberts to her guard. "See to her and keep watch on Alex's room. She is not yet awake. I'll be there soon."

"Yes, Liege."

"Have you all fed?"

"Yes, and well." Dani smiled. "The Weres are most accommodating."

Stef raised a brow. "And willing?"

"Quite."

Stef laughed and shut the door. She appeared by the side of the bed, cupped Lena's cheek, and kissed her again. Her lips were soft as silk and warm now. Her eyes had returned to the crimson darkness that was normal after she'd fed. "How do you feel?"

Lena laughed unsteadily. "A little like a phoenix—I feel like I've risen from the ashes. God, that was incredible. I was burning up and I never want it to stop."

"No pain?" Stef ran her thumb along the edge of Lena's jaw and over the fading punctures in her neck.

"God, no." Lena shivered as electricity streaked from the bite in her neck to her nipples and clit. "I love being with you anytime—any way—but that was…amazing."

Stef sat on the side of the bed and trailed her fingers down Lena's neck and over her breasts. "When I feed, some of my blood and hormones enter your body. The longer I feed from you, the more effect I'll have on you."

Lena pushed up against the pillows, grasping Stef's hand and molding it to her breast. She pressed Stef's fingers into her flesh, wanting nothing between them. She had a feeling these revelations were the things Stef feared would keep them apart. She wanted Stef to know she wasn't afraid of who Stef was or who they were together. "Is that why you don't have very many long-term blood servants?"

Stef smiled. "You understand more than most." She brushed her thumb over Lena's mouth and Lena caught the tip in her teeth, biting lightly. Stef hissed, her eyes darkening. "Absorbing a Vampire's essence, their power, imparts power to the host, but at a cost."

"What power?"

"Heightened immunity, for one thing. As a result, longevity and delayed aging."

Lena frowned. "How delayed?"

"It depends on the host," Stef said, "and the host's intrinsic potential for cell rejuvenation. Some families, like Roberts', are genetically predisposed for compatibility with the Vampire species. Their bloodlines are rare, but long-lived."

"How old is Roberts?" Lena asked, thinking she didn't look more than thirty.

Stef smiled. "Not much older than me—but others in her line are much, much older. She is likely to live centuries."

"Are you saying, because we're bonded, the same thing will happen to me?"

"Possibly." Stef's expression became remote.

"What?" Lena grasped Stef's forearm. "What don't you want to tell me?"

Stef sighed. "Sometimes, while initially compatible, eventually the host will reject the Vampiric emissions. The host could become ill. Possibly very ill."

"Or addicted, like so many hosts after a while, right?"

"Yes, although you show no signs of that."

Lena sat forward to kiss Stef's throat, the center of her chest, her breasts. "Oh really? Then I don't think you've been paying enough attention."

"I speak of the blood addiction that leads to insanity." Stef caressed Lena's face. "Your need for me is an addiction I desire. As your power grows, so will the pleasure we share."

"In both directions?"

Stef smiled, her incisors still extended, flames sparking in her eyes. "Oh yes."

Lena's breath came faster and her stomach tightened. "I want you again."

"Are you tired? Dizzy?"

Lena reached up and grabbed Stef's head, tugging her down. "What I am is hungry. Feed me."

* * *

"You've been pacing for half an hour," Spencer said, sitting up in their bed. As soon as they'd left the infirmary, they'd come straight to their den and tangled again. Now Ashley, naked, was wearing a path in the hard board floors. The midnight line of pelt that transected her ridged abdomen signaled her wolf was close and restless, and Spencer suspected that would be the case until the young were born. The Alpha wolf's ascendance probably also explained why Ashley's sexual need was pretty much constant too. Ashley was going to throw every susceptible female in the Pack into heat at this rate. Spencer didn't find Ashley's call a hardship in the least, since her pregnancy seemed to be heightening her need to tangle too, but an entire Pack in mating frenzy would leave them dangerously vulnerable. She had to settle Ashley down. "What is worrying you?"

"I have to decide what to do about Bo."

"What are your thoughts?" Spencer said carefully, reaching for a pair of loose scrub pants from a pile on a nearby chair. She didn't think it was her imagination that her jeans were tighter this afternoon than they had been in the morning.

"I can't allow an affront to you to go unpunished," Ashley growled.

"Everyone there saw what happened, Ashley. Bo did not attack me. She was frenzied, in the midst of a challenge from Tamsin over a female in heat. Under the best of circumstances her control would have been uncertain. Add to that all she's been through lately—"

Ashley spun around, snarling. "She is the leader of my warriors. She can't be undone by pain or frustration or the need to _tangle_."

"What about the need to mate?"

Ashley abruptly stopped and tilted her head, her wolf-gold eyes sharp. "Lauren?"

"I think so."

"Ah fuck." Ashley resumed pacing. "This had to happen eventually, but why now?"

"Biology doesn't keep to a timetable." Spencer pressed against Ashley, forcing her to still. She rubbed over her, coating her with her pheromones. Ashley rumbled and Spencer smiled. "Do you object to your _centuri_ mating? None of them are."

"There's no edict against them mating, although they often don't. Their first allegiance is to me, and that often supersedes their desire to mate."

"The blood bond?"

"Yes."

Spencer nodded, aware of the near-sexual bond all the _centuri_ shared with Ashley. If that aided in their protection of her, Spencer didn't mind. "Bo's bond with you is very strong."

Ashley kissed her. "I've never tangled with her, with any of them. Although that would be natural."

"I know." Spencer bit her chin. "Now you've lost your chance."

Ashley grinned. "Even mated Alphas exercise that right."

"Not this one."

Ashley laughed, then her face grew somber. "Lauren may not be open to mating."

Spencer heard reservation in Ashley's tone. "And it's not your place to tell me why? I consider Lauren a friend."

"I know." Ashley sighed. "If I thought you needed to know—for your protection or the good of the Pack—I would tell you. I think Lauren could use a friend right now."

"I'll talk to her," Spencer said. "But Bo is of more immediate concern. She needs you."

"And I need someone sound and strong in her position."

"I know." Spencer smoothed her hands over Ashley's chest and kissed her. "I know you do. And Bo is all of those things. Everyone in the Pack is a little unsettled. You've been attacked, you've taken a mate, our females have been victimized. It's a difficult time for everyone."

"All the more reason for discipline and order."

"Absolutely," Spencer said. "Your wolves need to know they have a strong and responsible leader. Every single one of them looks to you to lead." Spencer feathered her fingers through Ashley's hair and kissed her again. "I know what that costs you. Bo is the strongest of your wolves. You need her. We all need her. Show your Pack that you lead with their welfare in mind."

"And what if Bo can't control her wolf?"

"Any Were who can't control their wolf is a risk to us all. Then, your path is clear."

Ashley growled, the muscles in her jaw bulging. "I will put her down if she threatens you once."

"I understand. So will your Pack, if that becomes necessary." Spencer did not intend to let that happen, but should Bo or any one of them, including her, threaten the well-being of the Pack, there would be no other choice.

Ashley pulled her close. "I need to see her."

Spencer kissed her mate bite on Ashley's chest. "Good. I want to see Carmen and Alice. Are they up to it?"

Ashley nodded. "They're ready."

Spencer glanced at their bed with a sigh. "I guess some things will have to wait."

* * *

Lena's cell vibrated just after Stef left to see Alex. Private caller. She straightened in anticipation. "Lena Adams."

"I talked to you before," a raspy male voice said. "There's more you need to know."

"I remember you," Lena said, switching on her recorder and plugging it in to the base of her phone. "Please tell me your name."

"My name doesn't matter. We have people watching the lab. Something's happening there. They're moving out all the expensive equipment and they've gone to a skeleton crew."

"What lab?"

"We think there are more."

Lena caught her breath. "More Weres? In the same facility? How—"

"The underground complex is extensive. Multiple holding cells in separate wings. There may not be much time."

"Tell me your name. How can I get a hold of you? Who are you?"

"Friends. Not what they think."

"Not what who thinks?"

"The females they held captive."

"You were with them."

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt them. The others may not have much time."

The line went dead and Lena stared at it for a second. More Weres in the lab? How could Ashley and the others have missed them? She jumped up and ran to the door. She had to find Stef. And Ashley.


	10. Chapter 10

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Bo sat up as the door to the treatment room opened. When Ashley walked in, she got to her feet and came to attention, ignoring the pain in her belly.

"Stand down, _centuri_," Ashley said, closing the door behind her.

Bo didn't move, simply bowed her head once in salute. "Alpha."

Ashley strode to her and stopped a foot away, her arms folded across her bare chest. She wore jeans and nothing else, but she couldn't have looked more formidable if she'd been in full body armor. Bo kept her chin up, but her gaze fixed midway to Ashley's eyes. Ashley's mouth was set in a straight hard line. Bo quivered inside, but she had learned long ago never to show fear, not even in front of her Alpha.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you," Ashley said in a flat, neutral tone.

"I can't think of a reason," Bo said.

"Then we have a problem, because neither can I. You put hands on my mate."

"No, Alpha," Bo said quietly. "I didn't. Not intentionally."

"Do you think that matters to me? She carries my young. She carries the future of this Pack."

Ashley's voice had dropped to a low growl, and Bo felt the presence of Ashley's wolf bear down on her. She wanted to whimper. She wanted to fall to her knees, but she stood tall. She would die standing, for if she was nothing else, she was a warrior. "I know about the young." She hesitated. "Congratulations. I was wrong about her—about her being a worthy mate to you. I was wrong about many things."

Ashley's expression didn't change. "What happened out there today?"

Bo was surprised at the opportunity to explain herself. She still didn't know why she was breathing. The rules of the Pack were clear, and everyone, from the youngest whelp to the most seasoned warrior, knew them. The Alpha's word was law. The Alpha's mate was sacrosanct. The duty of every Were in the Pack was to protect the Alpha pair and preserve the bloodlines of the Pack. She had failed on every level. She took a breath. "I'd just come from being with Alex. The Vampire bite clouds the mind, and I—"

"I know what happens," Ashley said quietly. "That's no excuse. You aren't the only Were who services Vampires, or is serviced by them."

Bo flushed. She didn't like being referred to as no better than a blood addict. She raised her head, almost met Ashley's eyes. "Alex might be a Vampire, but she is also a _centuri_. I did not service her. I protected her. As you ordered, Alpha."

Ashley almost smiled at the show of defiance in her oldest friend and her most trusted warrior. But as much as she loved Bo, she loved her mate and her Pack more. She could not be wrong in this decision. "Regardless of how you define your need for the bite, if you cannot tangle with a Vampire and keep your head, you cannot be trusted."

"Lauren is in heat. I answered her call. I was about to…" Bo looked away. What had she been about to do? Take her, although Lauren had said she wasn't welcome? Seduce her, when Lauren could call any Were in the Pack she chose? Had she totally misread everything? "I was thinking only of Lauren, and then Tamsin challenged. I…I lost control of my wolf."

"Mating frenzy will do that to a Were."

Bo jerked. "Lauren is in heat, but we're not mating."

"Spencer thinks you are."

"No. That's not possible. Lauren does not want a mate and has not called for one."

Ashley laughed. "And you think that makes any difference at all? You think I wanted a mate? You know better." Ashley relaxed her stance and raked a hand through her hair. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be truly afraid, Bo? Do you think I have the time or the luxury to be afraid? But I am."

Bo raised her eyes to Ashley's. She'd seen her Alpha in frenzy, in fury, in battle—bloodied and blooded. But she had never seen the haunted shadows that swirled in her deep chocolate eyes now. The Alpha, afraid? She couldn't fathom it. "I don't understand."

"If something happens to her, I don't think I can survive, let alone lead."

Bo's jaw tightened and she growled. "No matter what you _think_, you will lead. You are the Alpha. We are here to ensure that nothing happens to her, or your young."

"Who would that be?" Ashley asked softly. "Who can I trust with all I care about?"

"Your _centuri_," Bo answered instantly.

"And who leads them? Who can I trust above all others?"

Bo swallowed. "I have ever been and always will be loyal. My life for your life, for her life."

"I need you strong, Bo. No matter your personal needs. If it's a Vampire's bite you crave, satisfy yourself, but hold your wolf and keep your head."

"Yes, Alpha," Bo whispered, wondering if the oblivion of bloodlust was what she truly wanted. She was being given a second chance to find out what really mattered.

"And if you mate—" Ashley shot Bo a hard stare when she started to protest. "If you mate, your mate will come first if threatened, but at all other times, your loyalty is to me and mine, above all others."

"Above all others." Bo pressed her palm to her heart in salute.

"How badly are you injured?"

Bo grinned crookedly. "I've had worse. I think you've given me worse."

Ashley grasped the back of Bo's head and pulled her into her arms. She kissed her forehead. "We were younger then."

Bo rested her cheek on Ashley's shoulder, breathed in the scent of Pack, absorbed the strength of her Alpha. She had been in the Compound for days, but this was the first time she'd felt as if she was home.

"We still have some fight left," Bo murmured.

Ashley stroked Bo's hair and rested her chin on top of Bo's head. "Yes, and I'm afraid there are many fights to come."

* * *

Alex woke snarling and jolted up on the narrow bed. She was naked, her skin burning, fiery blades slashing her to ribbons from the inside out. She took a breath, whipped her head around. Lauren stood at the foot of her bed. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, her expression calm, unafraid. Alex searched for Stef in the shadows and didn't see her.

"She is just outside," Lauren said.

"Why are you here?" Alex asked, her voice thick with need.

"For you," Lauren murmured, walking closer. "Welcome back."

Alex gripped the mattress so hard she shredded it beneath her claws. Her canines were down, her clitoris rock hard. Her hunger painted the world in blood. "Are you sure? I can't wait—can't control it. If you're not sure, leave now."

Lauren came closer, sat on the edge of the bed facing her, cupped her jaw. "I'm sure. You're one of us. I'm here for you."

"I'm sorry," Alex whispered, twining her fingers through the hair at the back of Lauren's head to tilt her chin up and expose the thick, rich veins in her neck. "I hunger."

"I hunger too," Lauren murmured. "It's all right."

Beneath the lure of blood, Alex scented Lauren's need. Her wolf surged, a dominant Were driven to answer the chief imperative of a female in heat. "I want you."

Lauren shuddered, her heat an unbearable pressure pounding in her depths. Bo's words echoed in her mind. _When Alex makes you come, think of me._ She tightened her grip on Alex's shoulders. They were alike in their need—driven by instinct and nature to join—but she refused to surrender her will to the dictates of her biology. She would choose who touched her soul. Lauren framed Alex's face, stared into the eyes of her wolf. "Feed from me."

"Yes," Alex groaned, taking her swiftly, driving into her throat, swallowing ravenously. Lauren bowed in her arms, a sharp cry escaping as she pressed against Alex's chest. Lauren's nipples were hard, her breasts hot and full beneath the thin T-shirt. Alex tore the shirt down the middle, wanting skin on her skin, and pulled Lauren down to the bed. Still drinking, she rose over her, her tense clitoris riding over Lauren's thigh. The rush of Lauren's blood coursing through her forced her to release, but she wanted more. She wanted to be inside Lauren while she drank her. Her wolf circled, agitated and wild. Lauren smelled like the forest after a heavy rain—fertile and rich. Lauren was life, potent and powerful. Alex wanted to drink her, she wanted to fuck her. She slid her claws down Lauren's flank and over her thigh, barely aware of the vise-like grip on her wrist until she tried to part Lauren's thighs.

"Wait," Lauren whispered, and through the haze of bloodlust Alex heard the unmistakable command.

Alex stilled, her canines still buried in Lauren's throat, Lauren's blood flowing into her cells, her feeding hormones seeping into Lauren's system. Lauren should have been completely powerless, but she was still aware and she had said no. Alex would not take her against her will, but she needed more blood to blunt her hunger. She straddled Lauren's thighs, her release cresting as she drank. She thrust, groaning at the knifelike pleasure. Beneath her, Lauren stiffened, her claws stabbing into Alex's back as she spent in hot waves over Alex's belly. Lauren's call was powerful, unrelenting, but Alex pulled away. Any more and she would lose herself in the ecstasy of Lauren's blood and drink her dry.

"Oh!" Lauren gasped as Alex withdrew, instantly cast into aching loneliness. Feeding Alex had been intensely intimate. Severing the connection was physically painful, but through it all she had seen Bo's face, not Alex's, above her. When she'd tempered her heat with a gut-wrenching orgasm, she'd felt Bo's mouth at her throat. "Oh God."

Alex lay heavily on her, panting. "Are you all right?"

Lauren rubbed her cheek against Alex's, stroking the damp hair that clung to her neck. "Yes. Thank you."

Alex pushed up, her eyes scarlet pools, her face an elegant chimera of wolf and Vampire. "You thank me when you've just gifted me with life?"

Lauren smiled, determined not to let her sadness show. Alex was not to blame for Lauren's condition or for her own bloodlust. They were both trapped by need. "I came to you. I wanted to feed you—and I needed your bite. I'm sorry I could not give you more."

"I don't know how you stopped me."

"You are first and always a Were—I knew you would honor our code."

"Am I still Were?" Alex whispered, not seeking an answer where there could be none. She shuddered. "It's so lonely."

"I know." Lauren pulled Alex back down into her arms. She knew what it was to be thrust into an unknown world, to be an outsider, to struggle for a place in a new life, all the while consumed with powerful and foreign needs. "But you're not alone. I promise."

"You're in heat." Alex rubbed her cheek over Lauren's breast. "Why aren't you with a Were?"

"I am."

"Not one who can give you a mate bite." Bitterness flooded Alex's throat. She hadn't realized what she'd lost until she'd held Lauren in her arms and sensed the glory of her call. She was _centuri_. She hadn't planned on mating, at least not until the Pack was safe in the post-Exodus world, and hadn't thought it mattered. Until now, when she couldn't. How much of her was changed? How much of her was…dead?

"You don't know you can't mate," Lauren said. "When you're stronger, we'll find out."

Alex rested her forehead on Lauren's. "What kind of mate would I be—I couldn't even protect my mate during the day."

"You'd find a way. If you couldn't, another Were would stand for you. We are Pack. We protect our own."

"Our own." Alex shook her head and sat up, putting her back to the wall and her body between Lauren and the door. Another Vampire approached.

The door opened and Alex snarled a warning.

"Be careful who you threaten, newling." Stef stepped inside, her gaze passing over Lauren in the protective shadow of Alex's body. She'd agreed to let Lauren come in alone after Lauren had insisted she would be safe. Struck by a strong wave of psychic energy, Stef had probed Lauren's mind and found her inexplicably and powerfully shielded. Lauren was unlike any Were she'd ever encountered, with an extraordinarily strong path-signature. If she didn't know Lauren was a Were, she'd think she was Psi. All the same, she'd monitored Alex's feeding from close by, ready to intervene if Alex succumbed to bloodlust and threatened to drain the host. But Alex had surprised her too—she had a level of control to rival that of a seasoned Risen after only a few days. She shouldn't even be aware of what she was doing in the midst of feeding, let alone be able to stop herself from gorging.

Over the centuries, the Were and Vampire species had lost their interdependent connections, and it appeared that the Weres had acquired some very interesting powers. Now that she was in line to rule a Clan, she'd need to know what her allies—at least for now—were capable of.

"I'm not your newling any longer," Alex growled.

Stef laughed and materialized inches from Alex in the blink of an eye. She stroked Alex's cheek with one fingertip. "Oh, but you are." She glanced at Lauren. "Not many hosts are able to maintain awareness in the midst of a Vampire feeding. You're an empath."

"Yes."

"You could monitor her need while she fed?"

"Yes." Lauren regarded Stef steadily.

"And still keep your own consciousness separate."

Lauren nodded.

Stef regarded her contemplatively. Ability like that might make a host resistant to thrall—and if not enthralled, prey might refuse the bite altogether. "I'd keep that to myself if I were you."

Lauren smiled wanly. "I'm very good at keeping secrets."

"I imagine you are." Stef cocked her head. "Lena is coming. There's trouble."


	11. Chapter 11

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Stef left Alex and Lauren alone in Alex's room. Another risk, but Alex's unusual control needed to be tested. So did Lauren's unheard of ability to resist blood thrall. And something much more critical demanded her attention—Lena needed her.

Outside in the hall, Lena hurried toward her, radiating tension and distress. Searching for a threat, Stef extended her senses out over the Compound. Dani was only a few feet behind Lena, Roberts—resting but alert—was recovering in the second room down the hall, and two more of Stef's soldiers stood post on the porch at the front of the infirmary. She pulled Lena to her and slid her arm around Lena's shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm all right." Lena kissed her quickly. "I'm sorry, I forget how attuned you are to my moods now. I didn't mean to worry you."

Stef smiled faintly. "It's a new sensation for me. I don't mind." She sifted a lock of Lena's hair through her fingers, marveling at the silky softness and the twinge of desire that followed. Until Lena, only blood had stirred her. She had never expected the simple sight of a woman to awaken longing. "Something else is wrong, then."

"Yes, I think so. I just got another anonymous phone tip."

Stef's temper flared. "You have no idea who called?"

"A man. The same one who told me about the laboratory where Carmen and Alice were imprisoned. That's why I believe him, and if what he said today is true—"

"What did he want?" Stef didn't like Lena being used as a conduit for cryptic messages from unknown contacts with questionable motives. Lena's job put her in the public eye. Her exposés on the Exodus, the Praetern battle for civil rights, and the sometimes violent opposition to granting Praeterns any protection under the law had earned her national coverage as well as acclaim. Stef could understand why individuals seeking a public forum for their views might contact her, but these anonymous callers were pulling Lena into a world of dangerous secrets. Lena could too easily become a target, and she didn't intend to allow Lena to be put in danger.

"I can sense your thoughts too, and we've had this discussion before, Vampire," Lena murmured as quietly as she could, knowing any Vampire and most of the Weres in the vicinity could hear them. "You can't protect me at the cost of me doing my job. And this is what I do. I've been doing it a long time with no backup and no guards."

"But you're not alone anymore," Stef said, her heavy tone filling the wide hall with her power. "You're mine."

Lena smiled. A wave of heat passed through her, making her knees tremble. She tightened her fist in Stef's black linen shirt. "Am I now?"

_You need to ask?_

"No," Lena said breathlessly. "I know."

"Then don't ask me not to protect you." Stef withdrew the slight thrall she'd cast. "Tell me what he said."

"He warned there are Weres left behind in the lab."

Stef's eyes narrowed. "My soldiers and Ashley's warriors swept that wing. We left no one behind except the permanently dead."

"I'm sure you're right. But he said there are other underground wings. I wasn't able to get all the blueprints in the little time I had, and if there _is_ more to that installation, there could be more captives."

"Why would anyone associated with that operation want us…_you_…to know?"

"I think this man was undercover in that lab. I think he's an ally."

"Undercover with whom?" Stef said. "No one has taken credit for what was going on there, and extremist groups are the first to claim responsibility for their destructive actions. It gives them credibility and power."

"I know the pattern of fanatics," Lena said, "which is why I think whoever is behind the abductions and experimentation is far more organized and probably much more politically savvy than the typical fringe group. Whoever is in charge is obviously well-funded and well-connected, and that makes them doubly dangerous."

"Point taken." Stef signaled Dani. "Call your soldiers. Put them on alert. We may need to assemble a strike force."

Dani saluted. "Yes, Liege."

Stef said to Lena, "Can you work on finding more detailed blueprints of that installation? We need to know what else is out there. I can get satellite imaging—"

"You can? How?"

Stef smiled. "Now that I am Risen, I can call on many resources that weren't available to me as a pre-an detective."

"Handy," Lena muttered.

"We'll set up surveillance—"

"I don't think there's time."

"Why not?" Stef asked. "If there are captives there, they've been there for months. A day or two more—"

Lena shook her head. "It's not that, although I hate to think of anyone being held there for a minute longer than necessary, but he said they're moving out a lot of the expensive equipment. And they've reduced personnel to only a skeleton staff."

"Getting ready to close it down or—"

"Destroy it."

Stef took Lena's hand. "I think it's time to find the Alpha."

* * *

"I want him," Ashley growled. She leaned against the massive stone fireplace in the meeting room of her headquarters, the _centuri_ and senior _sentries_ flanking her and Spencer. Stef and Lena, and Stef's guards, faced them, all looking coolly elegant and unperturbed by Lena's news. Ashley signaled to Aiden. "Can you get a trace from Lena's cell?"

"Possibly." Aiden glanced at Lena. "Do you have any kind of blocker on your phone?"

Lena shook her head. "No, for exactly this reason."

"We might be able to trace the source through the cell network with the initiation time, length of the call, and a little help from some of our people in telecommunications. But it's going to mean calling in some favors and it won't be fast."

"Do it." Ashley reined in her fury to keep her wolves calm in the presence of the Vampires. The Vampires might be allies, but they hadn't fought together in generations, and she was still wary of allowing any outsiders, including other Praeterns, to observe her inner circle. She knew the stories of the ancient allegiances, when in centuries past the Vampires had been greater in number and had held vast territories through merciless and brutal battles. The Weres, especially the wolves, had been their armies. The Weres had never been subservient to the Vampires, but the potent draw of the Vampire bite and the strength and powers bestowed through the blood exchange were payment enough for their mercenary services. As the Weres evolved, they claimed their own territory and created their own powerful society. As they did, their ties to the Vampires weakened and eventually disappeared. Still, Ashley felt the echo of the primal connection in her blood—reason enough to be careful around Stef Foster, heir to an ancient Vampire Clan powerful enough to rival Madison's.

Spencer eased closer to Ashley until their shoulders touched. Ashley rumbled, appreciative of Spencer's subtle support. Tempering her wolf was always difficult but almost impossible now, when she was constantly on alert to protect her mate. Spencer's presence calmed her wolf, and Ashley stroked Spencer's arm in thanks. She turned to Lena. "How long will it take for you to get us a clearer picture of the extent of the underground complex?"

"An hour, perhaps less." Lena shook her head, upset. "I shouldn't have stopped last night, but when I knew you had them, and then Stef—"

"You had no reason to continue," Ashley said, "once it seemed the mission was over."

"This could be a trap—another attempt on the Alpha," Bo said, standing at Ashley's right hand. They'd been together when Dyson brought word that the Vampire needed to see the Alpha immediately. She'd thought Ashley was going to leave her there, in the sickroom, even though it seemed Ashley had forgiven her for her transgressions. She'd held her breath, hoping she wouldn't be relegated to some secondary role, despite everything that had happened. Ashley had simply said, "Come, _Imperator_," as she spun on her heel and vaulted out into the hall. Now Bo was present as Ashley's general, and her role was to strategize and, above all, to ensure the Alpha was victorious in any encounter. "We would have sensed other Weres."

"Very possibly," Stef said coolly. "It's also possible whoever was once there is now dead."

The Weres in the room growled, and their anger and battle lust heated the air with clouds of pheromones. Stef appeared unfazed by the edgy Weres. "I brought this to your attention as it reportedly involves Weres. What you choose to do about it…" She shrugged.

"And if they were Vampires?" Ashley asked.

Stef smiled faintly. "It would take more than silver in the air to imprison a Vampire."

Spencer stiffened. "You know what they did to our adolescents. You witnessed how Alice and Carmen fought back. You dishonor them."

Stef's eyes flashed and Lena casually gripped her arm and squeezed lightly.

"Maybe we should all settle down so we can make a plan," Lena said quietly. Stef's arm beneath her fingertips was immovable as stone. Her fury was a metallic taste on Lena's tongue. Since Stef had risen, the darkness Lena had once sensed only as a distant shadow cloaking Stef's heart was so much stronger. She thought of Madison and her cold, heartless beauty. She would not lose Stef to that darkness. "Stef."

Stef shuddered so faintly, Lena knew no one could tell except her. Stef inclined her head infinitesimally to Spencer. "You're right, Prima. Your adolescents are brave. Had their captors tried to hold a Vampire, they could only have succeeded with UV barriers. The effect would have been the same as the silver in creating a prison."

Spencer's posture relaxed. Stef had offered an apology by revealing a potential weakness. She nodded. "Difficult to construct, but not impossible."

"No more sophisticated or expensive to build than the silver aerosol system we encountered in the lab," Stef said. "This time, we should be sure we haven't missed anything—or anyone."

"This time?" Ashley said. "You plan on accompanying us?"

"You're going to search, aren't you?"

"We have to. I couldn't sense our own adolescents through the silver barriers, so it's possible there are others. Ours or someone else's. We can't take the chance of leaving them there to be tortured further or, if your informant is right, destroyed."

"Then we should go," Stef said. "Lena can relay anything she finds on the layout while we're en route."

Kenzi stood on Spencer's left with her legs spread and her arms folded below her small tight breasts. Her eyes glittered with dislike as she took in Stef and her Vampire soldiers. "We don't need your help."

Ashley cut her a glance but said nothing. The _centuri_ were her strongest warriors and headstrong. The brunette twins, Kenzi and Vex, were her newest and not yet tempered, but they were brave. She gave them the respect they were due, as they had pledged her their blood.

"They'll have perimeter guards no matter how few they have inside," Stef said as if she were talking to a slightly slow student. "If you want to breach their outer defenses without losing half your numbers, you'll need someone faster than you to take them out of the equation."

"Possibly," Kenzi said, clearly not impressed. "Why do you care? You've just said there aren't likely to be any Vampires there."

"Now," Stef said softly. "There probably aren't any there _now_. But if whoever is behind this is interested in studying—controlling—Weres, then how long will it be before they turn their interest to us?"

Dani moved up behind Stef's left shoulder. Timothy, apparently recovered from the gunshot wounds of the night before, flanked her on the right. They were all beautiful—long hair, fathomless eyes, pale flawless skin. Dani's and Timothy's deep brown eyes were as impenetrable as Stef's, but Stef's were Vampire red. Hers never lost the fire, the crimson a swirling backdrop to the midnight of her irises. Her expression was just short of bored, but she radiated power.

Ashley had spent time with Madison, intimate moments when she'd seen Madison unguarded and unshielded, had felt the enormous press of her power. Stef was every bit as powerful as the Regent and somehow, Ashley thought, even more lethal. "The wolf Weres welcome the Vampires in this fight."

Dani and Timothy nodded. Stef smiled.

"You are an excellent politician, Ashley. You make it seem as if you are bestowing a gift upon us by letting us risk our lives for you."

"I've offered you my trust. Is there more you want?"

"Yes." Stef took a step closer. "I want your pledge to fight for Clan _Chasseur de Nuit_in the days ahead—that our enemies will be your enemies."

"And our enemies yours?" Ashley responded.

Stef nodded.

Ashley cocked her head, listening for Spencer's answer, for the opinion of her Pack. Spencer growled. The room filled with the rumbles of Weres, muting the deadly hum of Vampire power.

_Yes_, Spencer signaled.

Ashley didn't move a muscle, but her skin shimmered with the force of her wolf rippling beneath the surface. Spencer pressed tighter, her arm sliding around Ashley's waist, her hand gliding up and down Ashley's flank. Ashley's canines shot out and her face morphed into sharp angles and hard planes. "The experiments we witnessed inside that facility require a lot of money, a lot of planning, and someone powerful and well-positioned to oversee them. This can't be the only installation. I doubt this is even the only project. If we don't stop them now, they'll hunt us. All of us."

"The war has already started," Stef said as Lena's hand slid down to grasp her fingers. "Shall we fight together once more?"

Ashley extended her arm. "As equals, Liege Foster."

Stef clasped Ashley's forearm. "As equals, Alpha Davies."


	12. Chapter 12

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

A shaft of light cut through the gloom in the small cell. They were coming for them again! Alice jumped from her place against the wall and landed on the floor in a crouch, putting herself between Carmen and the intruder. She growled a warning and prepared to spring. Her canines erupted, her claws extended, and she thrilled to the anticipation of blood. She would take her enemies down, tear them apart, and feast on their carcasses. She was powerful, the predator, never the prey. Never again. Her vision shimmered to shades of silver, her wolf taking command. She willingly relinquished control, reveling in the swell of strength that flowed through her on the tide of her pelt bursting free, her bones transforming, her senses and her sex surging with excitement. A rumble rose from deep in her chest, and behind her, Carmen whimpered, caught in the wave of Alice's thirst to hunt. This was freedom, this was what she was born for.

"Alice, come here," Spencer said quietly, closing the door behind her.

The Prima's voice was soft, gentle, but the command so clear, Alice could not suppress the need to obey. Still, she feared a trap closing on her leg, silver teeth biting into her flesh, crippling her wolf, killing her inch by inch. She whined and shuddered.

"Alice," Spencer repeated, unmoving, waiting. "Come."

The edge of command was sharper now, impossible to ignore. Alice could run, or fight, or accept her Prima's dominance. Where would she run to? Whose body would curl against hers in the dark? Where would she find the comfort of another heart beating in time with her own? The utter, terrible isolation of the prison cell rose up to choke her, and she doubled over.

_You're ours. You're not alone._

The Alpha's voice. The Prima's voice. A thousand voices of the Pack, calling her. Slowly, Alice straightened, finding her legs, quieting her wolf. She smelled Pack, felt the warmth and security of home wrap around her. Her wolf backed away, hunkered down, wary and watchful and waiting. Alice crossed the room and ducked her head. "Prima."

Spencer stroked her face, clasped her neck. "It's good to have you home."

At the first touch, Alice stiffened—remembering other hands roaming her body, violating her. But this was no stranger, no enemy. This was a welcome. This was belonging. She relaxed into the caress, and Spencer quickly kissed her forehead before releasing her.

"I need to speak with you and Carmen about what happened to you," Spencer said. "It won't be easy. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Alice said instantly, and from the shadows, Carmen declared, "Yes, Prima, we are ready."

"Good. The Alpha and I, all of the Pack, need your help."

Alice's heart swelled with pride. She had wanted to be one of the Alpha's warriors one day. She had wanted to serve, and now, after this, she feared she might never be worthy. Spencer opened the windows that had been shuttered since Alice and Carmen had been brought into the room—a safety measure when they hadn't been able to control their wolves, to keep them in, to keep them safe. But a prison, all the same. Alice sniffed the air—smelled dew on the pines, the tang of prey, the crisp night breeze. The night sky was crystal clear, punctuated with bright stars and lit by a nearly full moon. Her wolf came to attention. The mountains called, the night seduced. The moon filled her with power. She panted and shivered.

"I know you want to run," Spencer said, leaving the window open. "I know you both need to shift again. Let's talk, and then I'll find someone to take you out for a run."

Alice did not return to her bed but sat beside Carmen, her hand finding Carmen's. Any other time, they would have struggled for dominance, tussled for position in the presence of the Prima, the way all young dominants jockeyed to claim their places. Once, being of the same age and both dominant females, they had been friendly competitors. She wasn't sure what she was to Carmen now, but if they ever found their places in the Pack again, if they could, she would never challenge Carmen for anything or anyone. She trembled and gripped Carmen's hand harder. She did not want the Prima to know she was afraid.

Carmen straightened and Alice felt strength flow into her.

"It's all right," Carmen murmured, and Alice remembered the voice in the dark that had kept her sane and kept her safe inside her head for weeks.

Spencer crouched in front of them, her arms resting loosely on her knees, her eyes level with theirs. She looked at them not as a dominant looks at submissives, but as a leader looks at warriors.

Alice swallowed. "Anything, Prima, anything you want to know."

"What do you remember about when you were captured?"

"Nothing," Alice and Carmen said simultaneously.

"Go on," Spencer said patiently. "Start with the last thing you can recall."

"I was on my way to a night class," Carmen said. "I took a shortcut from the dorm across the parking lot, the way I always do, and the last thing I remember is walking between rows of cars. Then I woke up in a cell."

"Did you scent anything? Hear anything?"

"Nothing. If I had, they wouldn't have taken me so easily," Carmen said bitterly.

"I know it's hard to relive this," Spencer said, "but can you remember anything you saw or felt when you woke up?"

Carmen shuddered and Alice slipped her arm around her shoulders.

"Take a minute," Spencer said.

"I remember it was hard to breathe," Carmen said softly. "The air was heavy, as if it was filled with smoke, but I couldn't see any. I couldn't see very far at all. My vision was blurry."

"Alice?" Spencer asked, "Did you have the same experience?"

"Yes," Alice exclaimed, the memory flooding her senses as if it were still happening. "A bitter taste every time I breathed, and my arms and legs as heavy as if they had weights on them. They chained us—" She choked at the sensation of being helpless, spread out against the cold wall, blood running down her back.

"Easy," Spencer said soothingly. "You're safe now."

Alice swallowed back the panic. "They chained us and we couldn't shift. My wolf was caught somewhere in a trap, held down—so weak. Couldn't fight back."

"It was silver," Spencer said. "There was nothing either one of you could have done to escape. They poisoned you from the beginning, weakening your ability to think, to reason, to plan. You survived because you are both strong. Because you are both brave."

"I am not strong," Alice snarled. "I let myself be taken. I was hunting alone and I had just shifted back to skin after a kill. I was proud of myself, celebrating my hunt. I wasn't watching, I wasn't wary. I'd forgotten everything John taught us in _sentrie_ training, forgot everything the Alpha taught us about hunting. It's my fault I was taken."

Spencer shook her head. "No. There are reasons we hunt together besides capturing our prey quickly and cleanly, but there are reasons you need to run alone too. There is no prohibition against a solo hunt. You broke no rules. What happened to you could've happened to any of us—except the Alpha."

"A _centuri_ would never have been captured."

Spencer laughed, and the sound rippled through Alice like sunshine at dawn. When had she last heard laughter?

"Someday, you may be as strong as a _centuri_. But for now, you are both more than strong enough." Spencer lightly gripped their legs. "Can you describe your captors?"

Carmen's grip on Alice's hand tightened to the point Alice thought her bones would break, and she pushed closer, pressing her naked thigh to Carmen's. Sharing her warmth, reminding Carmen as Carmen had reminded her so many times that she was not alone in the dark.

"I remember voices," Carmen said slowly, "and hands touching me. Cold."

Carmen shuddered and fur rippled beneath Alice's fingertips. Carmen's wolf wanted out of the cage, wanted freedom. In another second she would break free and bolt out the window, and they would have to hunt her down and bring her back. Alice couldn't let her be a prisoner again.

Alice pulled Carmen into her arms and tucked Carmen's face in to the curve of her neck. "It's all right. No one will hurt you again."

Carmen whimpered and licked Alice's neck, seeking comfort and security. Alice forced down a growl of fury at seeing her Packmate, so beautiful and strong, so terrified. She kept her voice soft, letting her wolf creep forward to nuzzle Carmen's ear. "Let me tell her." She nipped Carmen's jaw and Carmen curled more tightly against her.

"I'm sorry," Carmen whispered.

"No," Alice said, firmly, realizing now that as tormented as she had felt in that cell, Carmen had been more abused. They had given Carmen the hormones to stimulate her glands, siphoned off her blood, drained her sex, used Carmen's body to excite Alice into ejaculating. Carmen, a dominant Were, had been forced into submission over and over.

"They kept us drugged," Alice said. "Carmen more than me. Still, it's hard to remember—they didn't give us food, tormented us, tried to force us to tangle."

"We couldn't stop them from making us…do things." Carmen shivered. "I couldn't keep them from taking what they wanted."

Spencer growled, her cerulean eyes darker than the sky. "I saw the lab. I saw the restraining tables, the instruments, the drugs. They paid with their lives for what they did to you."

"We didn't tangle for them," Carmen whispered. "They drained us, but we didn't give them everything. We never bit, we never completely emptied…"

"If you had," Spencer said, "even if you'd _wanted_ to, it wouldn't have been your fault. I suspect they gave you some kind of synthetic mating hormone. You couldn't have resisted that, but you both fought back. The Alpha and I are proud of you."

"Parts of it are like a dream—a bad dream you never wake up from," Alice said. "There were men who came for us, but now their faces are blurred, as if I was seeing them through a curtain of fog. I can't tell them apart anymore, can't remember what they were called."

"The aftereffects of the silver poisoning have altered your nervous system. Your memory has been distorted, but it may come back at any time. Don't try to force it. Whatever you can remember right now is fine. If more comes later, then tell me or the Alpha."

"There was a female—" Alice could see the shape of her body on the other side of the bars, smell her desire, feel the heat kindling in her belly at the sound of her voice. The face was a shadow, but Alice remembered the thrum of sex in her blood when the smooth voice caressed her. She remembered wanting to fuck her, and she remembered laughter. A shower of laughter that cut like shards of silver. Alice growled, her thighs flexing restlessly, her clitoris tightening. Her glands pulsed and her hips jerked at the touch of rough hands on her sex, white-hot lightning streaking through her, the whip of pleasure snapping her control, forcing her to release. "She wanted us excited."

"Another Were?" Spencer asked, her voice gravelly.

"Not a wolf," Alice said immediately.

"We think they might've been using cat Weres as guards," Spencer said.

Alice had never seen a cat Were. She'd only been off the Compound a few times, once with Dayanara when she'd gone to the police station to see where Dayanara worked. She remembered not liking it there—too many bodies, too many foreign scents—gasoline, smoke, sweat. Too many humans. Her eyes flew open. "A human. A human female."

"One of the guards?"

Alice felt the press of power in her blood, thrilled to the command in the melodious voice. "No, not a guard. She was in charge."

"Would you know her again?"

"I think so," Alice murmured, aching with the need to be over her, inside her. She shuddered. She would kill her if she ever saw her again. Kill her because she still wanted her.

"What you're feeling," Spencer said gently, "is because of everything that happened to you there. There is no shame in it."

Carmen turned her head on Alice's shoulder, her eyes deep pools of misery. "They made us want things. Need things."

"I know."

"We didn't…They wanted us to tangle, so they could—" Carmen jerked upright. "I remember! I remember at the end—I was chained, hanging, I think. She held me, she…took the pain away."

"Who? The human female?"

"No," Carmen said, her voice wavering. "Not human."

Spencer looked from Carmen to Alice. "You're sure about the female? That she was human?"

"Yes." Even now, Alice's skin tingled with the memory of the female's pheromones coating her. Sweeter and subtler than Were, but still powerfully enticing. Her wolf bounded to her feet. The scent of sex coated Alice's tongue. She remembered tearing free from the restraints, leaping from the table, ready to take her. "She was there. In the lab. At the end."

Spencer said to Carmen, "But she's not the one you remember?"

"No," Carmen said, her voice distant. "I felt her inside me, deep in my blood. She made them stop hurting me. She made me come." Carmen pushed away from Alice. "She made me come, when she bit me."

"Vampire," Spencer said flatly.

"Yes, yes." Carmen rubbed her arms, pressed her hands down her thighs. "She was…beautiful."

* * *

Spencer found Ashley at her desk at headquarters. She motioned Bo out of the room. "I need to speak to the Alpha alone."

"Yes, Prima." Bo spun on her heel and left quickly, closing the door quietly behind her.

Ashley rose and leapt easily over the desk, landing in front of Spencer to grasp her shoulders lightly. "What is it? I could feel your fury across the Compound. I would have come to you except I knew you were on your way here."

"I just finished speaking with Carmen and Alice. When we find who is responsible, I want to leave their bodies on the steps of the state capitol building. I want everyone to know that no one touches our wolves and lives." Spencer grasped Ashley's hips and yanked her forward, kissing her hard. She needed the taste of her mate to settle her mind, to temper her wrath so she could think. All she wanted to do right now was kill.

"It shall be done," Ashley whispered when Spencer released her. She kept her arms around Spencer and raked her canines down Spencer's neck, running her tongue back up the faint crimson trail. "How are they?"

"Considering everything they've been through, amazingly well. But they're both traumatized. Their memories are fractured. Their wolves barely under control. They both need to tangle and I'm not sure who to trust them with. They're volatile and strong young wolves and they're going to be wild."

"I'll deal with that," Ashley said. "Did they tell you anything to help us?"

"Right now, they can't remember enough to identify their captors."

"Something they said has made you furious. What is it?"

"Even by Were standards they're barely sexually mature. And both of them have been abused. By humans and at least one Vampire."

"A Vampire," Ashley said softly, her body going as still as a predator crouched in the brush, stalking prey. "They're sure?"

"Carmen still shows signs of being enthralled. Whoever fed from her was very powerful. I suspect Alice had more than one exposure to a human female. Judging by the extent of Alice's visceral response to the memory, she was sexually taunted and seduced."

"Weres are not usually susceptible to human pheromones," Ashley said. She nuzzled Spencer's neck. "Your effect on me was rare."

"But not unheard of. There are human and Were matings," Spencer pointed out.

"Not true matings, but you're right, interspecies breeding is possible. Marina's mother was Were, her father human."

"Probably some humans are more compatible with Weres than others, or," Spencer said, "extreme deprivation over a long period of time may have increased Alice's susceptibility to human pheromones."

"We knew humans had to be behind this—they are the only group with the financial capability and organization to pull this off. But a human-Vampire alliance?" Ashley snarled. "Let's see what our new ally has to say about that."

"Ashley," Spencer said reluctantly, "Stef may be an ally, but she is a Vampire first."

"As I am the King High Alpha before all else." Ashley kissed Spencer hard enough to bruise, and Spencer welcomed the small bite of pain.

"What are you going to do?" Spencer asked.

"Unless I'm greatly mistaken, no Vampire could be involved without the Viceregal knowing. We'll hear what Stef has to say, and after we've checked out the installation again, we'll pay the Viceregal a visit."


	13. Chapter 13

**Rated M**

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

The buzzer rang just as Jenny finished pouring port into a crystal glass. She glanced at the antique walnut mantel clock above the marble fireplace. Seven p.m. precisely. She smiled. She valued precision, especially in those in her employ. Waiting a moment—sending a subtle reminder of who was in charge—she pressed the intercom. "Yes?"

"We have an appointment, Dr. Schecter," a cool, husky voice replied.

"Yes, we do." Jenny smiled to herself. She recognized the voice. And how like that Vampire to respond with a subtle challenge of her own, not the slightest hint of respect or subservience in her voice. She liked that about the Vampires, although under certain circumstances their lack of appropriate deference could be problematic. All the same, she enjoyed the tingle in her clitoris at the sound of Shane's voice. A monitor, concealed in a bookcase next to the fireplace, revealed three individuals outside her door. Shane she recognized, lean and dark and lethal, even in apparent repose. The two Vampires with her were dressed similarly—black shirts open at the throat, tapered black pants, narrow belts around tight trim hips. No weapons that she could see. Of course, they _were_ the weapons. "Take the stairs to the top floor. The door on the right."

"Thank you."

Jenny buzzed them in and crossed back to the open doors of the balcony and stepped outside. The night was clear and pleasantly cool. Light from the old-fashioned street lamps scattered throughout the park winked through the trees. She wondered briefly if the Vampires at her door had fed on any of the humans who ran along the paths below, going about their mundane and unexciting lives, unsuspecting of the monsters stalking them. She had never actually seen a Vampire feeding, other than the one brief time when she'd observed Shane feeding from a Were during her experiments—her _aborted_ experiments, thanks to the treachery of one human guard and the persistence of Ashley Davies. She'd been interrupted before she could gather the data she wanted—or share in the vicarious pleasure. Even now, anger at the memory of her lab being overrun with creatures coiled in her belly like a serpent, venomous and unrequited. Sooner or later, every one of them would pay. In the greater scheme of things, she wanted to biologically control the Were species, if not eradicate them altogether, for the good of humankind. On a personal level, she wanted to look into their eyes as they died, knowing she had triumphed. She wanted them to know that she, personally, had been responsible for their downfall. After all, behind every action, no matter how noble or ignoble, lay personal motivation. No one acted purely for the common good, no matter what they would have you believe. She at least admitted it. Fortunately, her goal to purify and protect the human genome was supported by any number of individuals and groups who wanted to exterminate the Praeterns. She merely took advantage of their resources.

A knock sounded on the living room door. Setting her glass aside, she smoothed her white silk shirt over her breasts, lingering just an instant on the tightness of her nipples, unburdened by a bra, beneath the sheer material. She squeezed lightly, sending the tingling into the pit of her stomach, and opened the door. The pair with Shane were as attractive as she expected—a female slightly shorter than Shane and reed-slender like so many of the Vampires, and a male, blond and handsome in an almost too-refined way. She thought briefly of Madison, so very different from her minions. They'd only met in person once, but the Viceregal was a presence one couldn't forget. Voluptuous, sensual, radiating power with such casual disregard Jenny found herself so aroused she'd needed to masturbate as soon as she'd been alone. No hardship, but surprising, that a woman had incited such an uncontrollable response. Then she'd witnessed Shane feeding, and she'd understood. The Vampire thrall functioned beyond sexuality or gender—it struck at the primitive core of desire programmed into the DNA of every living being. Her clitoris tightened further. She was going to enjoy having these creatures around. "Come in."

Shane entered first, her dark gaze sliding down Jenny's body, fixing on the points of Jenny's nipples with arrogant disregard for decorum. Her eyes, when they rose to Jenny's, glinted scarlet. "Good evening."

Jenny backed away and indicated the seating area with the sweep of her arm. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you anything? I was just having some port."

"No, thank you." Shane remained standing, as did the two guards with her, until Jenny retrieved her port and settled at the end of a butter-soft, cream-colored leather sofa. She crossed her legs, unobtrusively drawing the hem of her black silk skirt up her thigh. She watched Shane's eyes track her movements, thinking how very much Shane's hot gaze resembled that of a cat following the path of a mouse across the floor. Oh yes, they were predators. Beautiful, sensual predators. The idea of taming them made her wet.

At some signal from Shane she didn't see, the two guards sat on the matching sofa opposite her while Shane indolently leaned against the fireplace, her long, lean legs crossed at the ankles, her black boots gleaming. A bit of silver flashed at her wrist.

Jenny amended her first impression. She'd been wrong—they did have weapons, at least Shane did. A knife strapped on the inner aspect of her right arm. She remembered now, the slash of a blade releasing the Were female from the overhead restraint, allowing the captive to drop into Shane's arms, and the quick flash of Shane's incisors striking the Were's neck. Jenny's breathing quickened as she recalled the Were's frantic moans, her struggle to climax, and the flood of crimson followed by the shine of release coating her twitching thighs.

"Please tell your mistress I appreciate your assistance. But tell me, how will we manage daytime events?"

Shane smiled faintly. "Clive is human. He will escort you during the day, and in the evening, Niki will be your primary guard, although Clive will also be available. Should you for any reason need other assistance, we will see that you are well attended."

Jenny glanced briefly at her new bodyguards. Now that she saw them together, she detected the difference. Clive was indeed beautiful by any standards, but his eyes did not carry the gleam of power that radiated from Niki's. He would no doubt be enjoyable in bed, and she looked forward to finding out, but Niki—she promised something more than an orgasm. She offered an experience beyond simple desire.

"I hope there comes a time when you might grace me with your presence, _Senechal_," Jenny said, showing Madison's ambassador the appropriate respect in front of her underlings. "Your previous visit was disappointingly short."

Shane leaned back, her smile flickering over her exposed incisors. A wave of red heat flowed through Jenny's body, flushing her breasts, swelling her sex. If she tightened her thighs, she would orgasm where she sat. She laughed at the audacity of the beautiful Vampire. "I'll take that as a yes."

Shane inclined her head, her fiery gaze fixed on Jenny's throat. "With pleasure, Dr. Schecter."

* * *

"Stay with the Alpha," Bo said to Dyson and Aiden, who stood post outside the Alpha's office on the wide balcony overlooking the first floor meeting area. "I'll be outside."

"Yes, _Imperator_," Dyson said, and the restless churning in Bo's belly settled. Here, with the rhythm of the Pack thrumming through her blood, she knew who she was and what she had to do. She leapt over the railing and landed easily on the stone floor a story below, the muscles in her thighs tensing as the shock rippled through her. Her wolf stretched, awakening inside her skin again. Straightening, she pulled air deep into her lungs, searching for the one taste she craved. There. Undercutting the essence of all the Weres and wildlife, blunting even the seductive allure of the Vampires, the one single tantalizing scent that drew her like no other. Lauren.

She pushed through the enormous wooden doors and bounded down onto the hard-packed earth in the center of the complex. She knew where Lauren was, and she wanted her out of that room. Away from Alex.

She strode quickly across the yard and vaulted onto the porch, nodded to the Vampire's guards who flanked the door, and powered down the hall. She'd been where Lauren was now, and she was done pretending she didn't care. She'd had enough. She did not knock.

She shouldered into the dimly lit room and let the door swing closed behind her.

A growl filled the room. Alex, naked, held Lauren with an arm around Lauren's shoulders, a possessive gesture that brought Bo's wolf roaring to life. Her jaw elongated and her vocal cords thickened so she could barely speak around her snarl. "I've come for Lauren."

"Lauren is with me." Challenge in Alex's voice.

Bo had been challenged too many times for this female, and she ached to fight, but she remembered the Alpha's warning. If she could not control her wolf, she could not be trusted. Claws burst through her fingertips and pelt shot down her abdomen. Blood dripped onto the rough wood floor. She strode to the bed and held out her hand to Lauren, ignoring Alex's warning snarl. "Come with me."

"She is not yours to call," Alex rumbled.

Lauren sat up, slipping out from under Alex's shielding arm. "Nor yours," she said softly.

"You don't have to go with her," Alex said. "Your blood fills me—stay."

"Your Vampire rules you now," Lauren murmured gently, "or you'd know I can't."

"I feel your need," Alex said. "Come back when it grows too great."

Lauren kissed Alex's cheek. "I'm all right. Will you be all right?"

Alex pushed upright, her back against the wall. Her eyes shone more amber than crimson, more wolf than Vampire, but her scent was a mixture of both. She nodded curtly. "Go. And…thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," Lauren said, rising from the bed. She pulled on the T-shirt and jeans she'd shed earlier. "I told you, my need as well as yours."

Bo's chest tightened, knowing that Alex had given Lauren what she had not been able to, what Lauren would not accept from her—release and with it, pleasure. She didn't resent Lauren finding relief where she could, but she couldn't bear to see Lauren in Alex's arms. She gently closed her fingers around Lauren's hand. "Please."

Lauren followed Bo out into the hall. "What is it that you want, Bo?"

"I…I needed to see you." Bo entwined her fingers through Lauren's and drew her outside. The brush of Lauren's shoulder against hers warmed her. She could smell Alex on her, and knowing Alex had touched her blurred her mind with fury. She battled down the urge to go back and drag Alex to the floor and bloody her. Lauren had needed Alex, and there was no fault in any Were—or Vampire—she chose answering that need. Still, she couldn't help herself. "Did she fuck you?"

Lauren jerked Bo to a halt at the edge of the woods that ringed the Compound. "Stop it. Why torture us both?"

"Just tell me," Bo growled.

Lauren pulled her hand free and cupped Bo's jaw. "No."

Bo shuddered and rubbed her cheek against Lauren's palm. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Lauren kissed her. "I know."

Bo dropped her voice to a subvocal level, conscious of Stef's guards outside the infirmary. "There'll be a mission tonight. I wanted to see you before I went."

Lauren pressed against Bo's side, caressing down Bo's chest until her hand rested on Bo's bare abdomen. Her fingertips feathered the pelt along Bo's midline. "What is it? Can you tell me?"

"You need to know, so does Chelsea. You'll need to prepare. We've gotten word there are more Weres left in the installation where Carmen and Alice were held captive. We're going to get them."

"More?" Lauren stiffened. "They can't be ours. We'd know."

"Maybe," Bo said. "But we always have a few adolescents who run solo until they decide how they fit in the Pack. We might not know anything was wrong if we didn't hear from them for a few weeks. Even a month or two. We can't be sure if we're missing anyone."

"Bring them home, Bo," Lauren said fervently. "What they did to them—bring them home."

Bo wrapped her arm around Lauren's shoulders and pulled her close. She rubbed her face in Lauren's hair, trembling at the touch of Lauren's breasts against her chest. "We will. We will, and you will heal them."

"I want you to come home too." Lauren rubbed against her and licked her neck.

Pheromones, Lauren's and hers, misted the air and Bo's sex readied. She let her hands roam over Lauren's back, tracing the delicate but strong muscles along her spine and the swell of her ass. She edged her thigh between Lauren's, aching to empty. Her clitoris distended, stiffened with urgency, and she growled low in her throat.

"I need your head clear tonight," Lauren murmured, edging her hand under the waistband of Bo's pants, pushing lower until her fingers slid on either side of Bo's clitoris. "I need you to be careful."

Bo's ass tightened and she pushed into Lauren's hand. "Lauren, what—"

"Shh," Lauren said. "You need this, so do I, before you go."

Her fingers worked magic, stroking the hard nodes of Bo's glands, caressing the length of her clitoris, sliding lower, deeper, until she cupped her inside and out. Bo's breath caught in her throat, her back arched, and she threw her head back. The stars revolved overhead, swirling faster and faster until all she saw was swaths of white light blinding her with unbearable pleasure. Lauren scraped her canines down Bo's throat, drawing blood, and Bo exploded so hard and fast her legs gave way. She dropped to her knees and found herself cushioned in Lauren's arms. So much stronger than she realized, so much more than she'd ever dreamed. Shuddering, she rested her head on Lauren's shoulder.

"Come back tonight, _Imperator_," Lauren whispered. "I'll be waiting."


	14. Chapter 14

Hey Guys, I am really sorry this has taken so long... my cousin was recently admitted to the hospital because his cancer has spread. Its been a really hard couple of weeks, but you guys persistant nagging :) 3 kept putting me in a good mood and reminding me that there's other stuff for me to focus on soooo here you guys go hope you enjoy.

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

The door opened and Alex jumped up, ready to fight. She'd been expecting Bo to return and challenge her for tangling with Lauren, to try to prevent her from feeding from Lauren again. She'd smelled the possessive fury coating Bo's skin. Lauren was in heat and Bo wanted to claim mating rights. A week ago, when she'd been Were and not part Vampire, she wouldn't have disputed Bo's claim, even if Lauren hadn't taken Bo as a mate. But she wasn't who she had been. She didn't burn to quench the fires of Lauren's heat, but she hungered for her just as strongly as Bo. Lauren's blood ran sweet and strong with the exhilarating pulse of life, giving her something she hadn't known she sought. Calm. No Were or human she'd fed from had given her that.

Feeding from Bo had been like opening herself to a forest fire. Bo's blood was a fury, boiling with power and undercut with rage. Bo's blood had filled her, driven her to mindless release, but left her restless and needing. Lauren had not only tamed her hunger, she'd silenced her need and given her an overwhelming sense of peace. She would have fed from her again if Bo hadn't arrived. If her hunger hadn't been so recently sated, she would not have allowed Bo to take Lauren without a fight. Lauren had come to her willingly, and a Vampire did not allow another predator to claim her host.

But she would not fight for peace tonight. The enemy who faced her was not Bo.

"Peace is not what you need," Stef said. "What you need burning in you is the thrill of the chase. We are, above all, hunters."

"What I need is freedom," Alex said. "I know how to hunt."

"Do you even know what freedom is now?" Stef said. "You once hunted prey who did not challenge you. Now you pursue the most intelligent prey on the planet—humans and other Praeterns. And you still have much to learn."

Alex hated the Vampire who'd made her what she was by destroying everything she had been, especially when she knew Stef was right. She wasn't born for peace. And she ached for the rush of blood in her throat. "What do you want?"

"You will pledge to me now," Stef said quietly, "or you will never leave this room."

"Do I have a choice?" Alex looked at the window behind her—at the night outside. Once she had run beneath the stars, strong and fast and sure. She could feel the distant longing of her wolf to leap free, to find the Pack, to hunt. If she turned her back on Stef, took her chances at surviving without Stef's protection, would she find herself alone in the night? She was no longer _centuri_. She was no longer Were. She'd rather keep her wolf in chains than find she had no longer had a home. She wanted to kill the Vampire whose power filled the room with such force she ached to kneel and offer up her throat. She struggled to bury the foreign desire to submit. "Why don't you kill me now? I will never bend to you."

"I did not ask you to bend."

Stef was suddenly in front of her, her warm, long fingers clamped around Alex's throat. Stef had fed recently, and her strength took Alex's breath away. The crimson flare in Stef's eyes flamed through to Alex's core. The part of her that was Were readied for the release promised in Stef's bite, her glands filling so sharply she gasped. She shuddered with need. Her heart might beat with Lauren's blood coursing through her veins, but her body burned for Stef, the master she craved and loathed. "What is it you want?"

"You are so much stronger than you should be," Stef murmured, her mouth brushing along the edge of Alex's jaw. "You were so completely empty when I animated you, only my blood flows in you. I was wrong about what you are."

Alex's stomach iced. "I don't understand."

Stef released Alex's throat and stroked her fingers over Alex's cheek, tracing the curve of her cheek with her thumb. "You are not a newling—not a living Vampire. You are Risen, a full-blooded member of my line. Your powers are already stronger than a youngling Risen Vampire's. I suspect you'll be able to stay awake during the day before long."

"Like you?"

"Yes."

"And if I want to be free from your Dominion?"

Stef smiled. "Do you seek to challenge?"

Alex didn't think she could defeat Stef in battle, but she would not surrender, she would not submit without a fight, and she would die before she would kneel. "You haven't told me what you want."

"I need a warlord—a Vampire to lead my soldiers, to enforce my word, and to protect my consort. Pledge to me, and you will live."

"And if you go to war with the Weres?"

Stef's alabaster face was as unyielding as stone, her crimson eyes volcanic. "You pledge to me for life, with your life. Break your pledge and you will die."

Alex thought back to the moments with Lauren. Alex's wolf had longed for the touch of another Were, but Lauren had not wanted a mate. If she had, Alex would have failed her. She could never mate with a Were—never provide a mate with young, never be part of the Pack the way she had been. She was _other_ now, Vampire, and the Weres could never be more to her than hosts. She had no place in Ashley's army, no place in the Pack. But she was and always would be a warrior. She was Praetern, Were or Vampire, and the Praetern struggle was hers, as it always had been. Stef, her lord but never master, was offering her honor and purpose. She went down on one knee.

"I pledge my service to you, Liege."

Stef drew Alex to her feet with the force of her thrall. Alex shuddered but held her position, even though her wolf trembled on the verge of release. Stef kissed her and a wave of heat passed through her, igniting her, empowering her. She bit back a moan as _victus_ flooded her thighs.

Stef kissed her. "Welcome to my Clan, Warlord."

* * *

"I have to go," Bo murmured, her cheek against Lauren's breast. She knelt at the edge of the forest, spent and defenseless in Lauren's arms.

"I know you do." Lauren threaded her fingers through Bo's hair, feeling as if she might shatter inside. She couldn't let Bo feel her terror. From her first consciousness of being Were, she'd known she was different. She'd never felt the same drive to find her place as the young dominants who tussled endlessly in search of their position in the Pack. She didn't burn with the need to nurture and protect like the non-dominants who became the teachers, the caretakers, and the soldiers. She'd always been other, even while being part of the whole, and Chelsea had helped her find her place as a healer. As an adolescent she'd watched the hunters foray into the mountains for weeks at a time to bring back food for the Pack, seen the young non-dominants—male and female alike—find mates, care for the young, and create the fabric that held the Pack together. Since the Exodus, she'd seen the warriors leave for battle. Some of those warriors had come back injured and dying. Bo, standing at the Alpha's side, was at greater risk to die in battle than any in the Pack. Bo would give her life for the Alpha's, as was her duty, and Lauren could never let Bo know that if Bo did not return, she might not survive. "Go, _Imperator_. We both have duties. I need to find Chelsea so we can be prepared if you find captive Weres."

"I would not leave you if I didn't have to."

Lauren smiled and stroked Bo's cheek. "You don't need to tell me that."

Bo's hazel eyes were wolf-shot, hot and possessive. "Your heat is not over. You'll be in need again soon."

"This is far from the first heat I've been through. I'll be all right."

"I would not have you suffer," Bo grumbled, "but Alex—"

"I'm not going to her again," Lauren said gently.

"There are others who—"

"Perhaps you would like to choose someone for me to tangle with while you're gone."

Bo snarled and Lauren pulled her up until they were face-to-face. "Then stop pushing me to tangle with someone else." She caught Bo's lip between her teeth and tugged it. "I'm all right."

Bo cradled Lauren's face and kissed her softly. "When I return, let me answer your need."

"I told you I would be waiting." Lauren grasped Bo's wrists and kissed first one palm, then the other. "When you leave tonight, your duty is only to the Alpha. That will always and ever be the case."

Bo rested her forehead against Lauren's. "Then you know why I can't mate."

"I already told you, that's not what I want." Lauren forced a laugh. "I'd forgotten why I didn't want to tangle with you. Your head is like a rock."

"I might not be what you want," Bo said, "but I can give you what you need."

"Go, Bo," Lauren said, her heart bleeding, her wolf in a rage. She'd had this power struggle with her wolf in every heat. What she knew she couldn't have and what her wolf demanded were forever at war. The struggle tore her in two every time, and letting Bo close made it worse. Tangling with her and not biting her, not giving herself totally, made the pain unbearable. She wanted her, needed her, ached for her—but her wolf wanted a mate. A true mate, with a union of blood and hormones and _victus_. She couldn't risk that, and avoiding the mate bond was endless agony.

"Your wolf is restless," Bo murmured, skating her hands over Lauren's breasts. "Your heat is already rising and your wolf wants a joining. How long can you fight her?"

"As long as I have to." Lauren pressed against Bo's hot, hard body. She needed the feel of Bo's heart beating against hers to carry her through the long hours of waiting. "You're needed with the Alpha, Bo."

Bo kissed her swiftly, a hard, deep, claiming kiss. The scrape of Bo's canines over Lauren's lip made her sex clench and she readied instantly. She quivered in Bo's arms. "Bo, stop."

"Sorry," Bo murmured, sucking the bite she'd made in Lauren's lip. "I had to taste you."

Lauren couldn't hold her wolf back any longer. In another second she would need to taste Bo too, and she wouldn't stop with a nip. She'd bite and her mating hormones would surge into Bo's blood. No, God no. Lauren pushed at Bo, her claws scoring down Bo's chest. "Go. Hurry."

Bo didn't budge. She pulled Lauren's mouth to her chest. "Taste me."

Whining deep in her throat, Lauren licked.

Bo growled at the soft rasp of Lauren's tongue over the marks Lauren's claws had made. "Remember my taste in your blood if you let anyone else take you."

"If you care about me," Lauren gasped, "you'll go."

Bo vaulted away and landed on the wide porch of the Alpha's headquarters. Panting, Lauren watched her disappear through slanted eyes. Snow-white pelt shimmered over her as her wolf broke free, and she raised her head and cried to the sky before streaking off alone into the dark.

* * *

"Friday night," Jenny said, swirling the burgundy liquid in the glass cradled in her palms, "I'll be attending the governor's gala." She smiled at Niki. "You'll be available?"

"Of course," the Vampire replied. "What time would you like to leave?"

"Would nine p.m. suit?"

Niki's mouth curved and the tip of a gleaming incisor dimpled her full lower lip. "Your pleasure always suits, Dr. Schecter."

Jenny's breath hitched at the sensation of warm fingers brushing over her breasts, though no one touched her. Her clitoris pulsed between her thighs, engorged and insistent, as soft lips closed around her. The tug of a silken mouth had her on the edge of climaxing. Jenny was an expert at schooling her expression so nothing showed, but Niki's smile widened and her eyes flashed scarlet. The Vampire knew her thrall had excited her. Jenny gritted her teeth. What arrogance! But so intriguing.

"Is it in your control?" Jenny asked, sipping her port to hide the tremor in her hands. Niki was testing her, but she discounted Jenny's strength. Jenny knew how to gain the upper hand—she'd had plenty of practice with the men she worked with. She hadn't gotten as far in her life as she had by letting the bluster and physicality of others overpower her. The one thing men couldn't seem to process, or ignore, was sexual aggression from a woman. They'd go anywhere their cocks led them. Perhaps the promise of her blood would work the same way. "The seduction? Is it selective or will anyone do?"

"Oh," Niki replied, her voice husky and her eyes glinting, "my interest is quite voluntary. You're a beautiful woman."

Jenny glanced at Shane, whose elegant features were ever-so-slightly amused. "You've no problem with your—employee—attempting to seduce me?"

"Did you expect us to behave like humans?" Shane asked quietly, brushing her fingers over Clive's neck. The human servant drew a sharp breath, his hands tightening on his thighs. An erection swelled beneath his black trousers, pushing along his inner thigh.

"I see," Jenny said, taking in the display of dominance. The Vampires survived by enthralling their hosts, and sex was the currency of their power. Seduction was as natural to them as breathing. Rising, she circled behind the sofa where her new bodyguards sat and leaned over Niki from behind. She brushed her lips over Niki's ear. "I don't want you distracted while you're working."

Niki tilted her head back, her mouth skimming Jenny's neck. "I'll be sure to come to you well-fed. Unless you prefer to feed me."

Jenny ran her tongue over Niki's lower lip, so close to orgasm she barely held back a moan. "I'll expect you at sundown tomorrow."

"And Clive?"

"He can watch."


	15. Chapter 15

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

"I want you to stay here tonight," Ashley said, tucking a tight black T-shirt into black BDUs. She bent to lace up her black combat boots.

Spencer crossed her arms and leaned against the bedroom door. "What should I do while you're leading your warriors on a night mission, Alpha? I think we've got plenty of cooks in the mess hall. As far as I know, there aren't any household chores that need doing."

Ashley cut her a glance, strapped on a thigh sheath, and slipped in a twelve-inch double-sided KA-BAR. "You're a medic. Carmen and Alice need you."

"They do," Spencer said reasonably. She'd been expecting this, wondering how long Ashley would wait. "Carmen and Alice need you too. As far as their medical and psychological condition, Chelsea and Lauren are more qualified than me to take care of them."

"Then stay here and take care of the young in your belly." Ashley straightened and stalked toward her, a new dark dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Are we going to have this struggle for the next two months?" Spencer stopped Ashley's march with a palm pressed to the center of Ashley's chest. Hard muscles bunched beneath her fingers and her body heated. She could never touch Ashley without wanting her. "Before you growl," Spencer said, "listen."

Ashley's lip curled into a snarl, but she held her peace. Her mate was stubborn and she wouldn't yield to dominance, not even from her Alpha. "I don't have much time. The _centuri_ are waiting."

"They'll wait for you as long as they need to." Spencer slid both hands down Ashley's torso and hooked her fingers around the waistband of Ashley's tight pants. She yanked her forward until Ashley's body was pressed against hers. They were eye to eye, Ashley's deep chocolate eyes shimmering with shards of gold. Ashley's wolf was always at the surface these days, riding her hard, driving her with all the primal instincts of a Were with a pregnant mate. Add to that the enhanced aggression inherent to the Alpha and she was close to being beyond reason. Spencer kissed her softly. "I love you."

Ashley frowned. "I don't understand."

"I know." Spencer grinned. "You aggravate me ninety percent of the time just the same."

Ashley's brows shot up, the rumble that reverberated through her striking the center of Spencer's chest like a thunderbolt. If she didn't concentrate, she'd forget the point she was trying to make and simply let Ashley have her way, let Ashley take her the way her wolf wanted right this minute. Spencer felt herself opening, readying, responding to the call of her mate, and something more. She ached with the need to answer Ashley's need. Ashley's need for her, and only her, made every challenge attainable, every hurdle surmountable. She caressed Ashley's face with one hand and slid the other arm around Ashley's hips, holding her close. "I need to be where you are. I can't stay here and wait."

"I can't let you put yourself in danger," Ashley said, her husky voice strained. "I have to protect you and our young for the sake of the Pack." She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Spencer's. "And for my sanity. Please, understand that."

Spencer curved her fingers around Ashley's neck and rubbed her cheek against Ashley's. She kissed her eyes, her mouth, her throat. The Alpha, the strength of hundreds, trembled in her arms, and she felt power beyond any she had ever known. That power humbled her, making her hands even more gentle. "And I need to be close to you, for my sanity. I'll drive the Rover. I'll stay with the vehicles, and if you want, you can leave a guard."

Ashley broke away and strode to the window. When she grasped the rough wood frame, the boards creaked, threatening to splinter. From behind, Spencer could see Ashley's wolf straining to emerge. Ashley's shoulders hunched and flexed, her arms shook, her ass tensed. Spencer didn't want her mate to struggle, didn't want Ashley at odds with her wolf, but Spencer's wolf paced and growled and gnawed at her insides too. _Her_ need to protect her mate was every bit as strong as Ashley's. Spencer went to her, laid her cheek between Ashley's shoulder blades, and wrapped her arms around her waist. Pressing close, she whispered, "Trust me, mate. Trust me to care for our young and you."

"What you're asking goes against every instinct I have." Ashley spun around and gripped Spencer's shoulders, her eyes completely gold, her face sharp and heavy, her canines lethal blades. "I can't have any harm come to you or our young. I can't lose you. I can't."

"You won't." Spencer grabbed a fistful of Ashley's hair and kissed her hard. Her canines caught the corner of Ashley's mouth and drew blood. She sucked on the scrape and Ashley, growling, lifted her and carried her in three long strides to the bed. Ashley dropped her on the blanket and fell on top of her, caging her between her arms and her legs. Spencer swelled inside her jeans as Ashley's thigh clamped hard between hers. She was too ready to wait. Her claws shredded the back of Ashley's shirt. Ashley's tongue was in her mouth, hot and demanding, filling her. Ashley's hands were on her breasts, tormenting her nipples, and Ashley's hot hard heat was everywhere over her. Spencer thrust and dug her claws into Ashley's back. Ashley reached between them, ripped away clothing, and suddenly she was all Spencer knew. Spencer covered the bite on Ashley's chest with her mouth and came with a fierceness that purged her mind of every thought.

When the haze cleared, she tightened her hold on Ashley, who lay spent and panting. Ashley's face was pressed into the curve of her neck, and Spencer was so overcome by the need to protect her, she could barely breathe. She stroked Ashley's back, caressing the small wounds she'd left. "Just because I can't resist you doesn't mean you can always have your way."

"You're supposed to want to give me anything I ask for." Ashley nipped Spencer's neck hard enough for Spencer to feel her clitoris tighten in anticipation.

Spencer laughed. "I bet your mother didn't tell you those stories."

Ashley propped herself on an elbow and nibbled Spencer's lower lip. "No one had to tell me. It's in my genes."

"Your genes are a few centuries behind, Alpha." Spencer ran her fingers through Ashley's hair. She was so beautiful—so strong, so brave, and still so vulnerable. Not immortal. Spencer remembered the bullet wounds in Ashley's chest, the silver burrowing into her lungs and her liver, nearly destroying her. She remembered the feral black wolf who almost hadn't come back to her. "You're my heart. Don't ask me to let you go."

Muscles bunched in Ashley's jaw. A grumble rolled through her throat. "You'll stay in the Rover. Tamsin will stay with you. No matter what you hear, what you see, you stay there until I return."

"Agreed, except—"

"No exceptions."

Spencer shook her head. "If I feel you're injured, I will come to you."

"No."

"Not negotiable."

Ashley threw her head back, her roar loud enough to bring footsteps to their door.

"You can roar all you like." Spencer turned her head at a knock on the bedroom door. "We're fine."

"Yes, Prima," Kenzi said from the other side.

Spencer kissed the mate bite on Ashley's chest. "You can't ask me to do less than you would do. I won't be less to you than you are to me."

"I can't give the Pack what you can," Ashley said. "You give them the next Alpha."

"You could," Spencer said softly, "if you bore the young, or bred them with some other—"

"No," Ashley roared.

Spencer caressed Ashley's cheek. "Your wolf is getting everyone agitated. You need to settle down before this mission."

Ashley had never felt so unsettled. She'd never had so much trouble controlling her wolf before, not even when she'd been an adolescent and so much more powerful than all her Packmates. She'd tussled with Bo and even then had had to be careful not to hurt her, but she'd managed. She'd always had control, and now it was gone. Now her wolf raged, constantly in a red-hot fury. She was ready to fight or fuck every second she was awake. She panted, struggling for balance. "I don't know how my father put up with this."

Spencer laughed shakily. "Just think. His mate was a pregnant Alpha—and I'm sure your mother didn't sit in the den for months."

"My father was stronger than me."

"I'm sure he was incredible," Spencer said softly, "but there is no one stronger than you, Ashley. We'll be all right. Trust me."

Ashley rolled over, settled her back against the wall, and pulled Spencer into her lap. She cradled her in her arms and rested her chin on top of Spencer's head. "I never wanted this. I never wanted to need so deeply. I need you more than I need the Pack."

Her last words were whispered, heavy with remorse and regret. Spencer's heart tightened, feeling her mate's struggle. She twisted until she could look into Ashley's face. "You'd give your life for any member of the Pack, from the youngest to the oldest, from the weakest to the strongest. We all know that. You have no reason to fault yourself. Your need is between us. I won't let that need hurt you or our Pack."

Ashley swallowed, nodding slowly as her wolf curled up with a weary huff. "As you wish, Prima." She kissed Spencer gently. "Let's gather our warriors."

* * *

Lena slid her laptop into her briefcase and handed Stef the printout of the building plans she'd cobbled together from a series of permits she'd pulled from the archives of the municipal offices nearest the installation. "They aren't complete, but they're more extensive than what I was able to find earlier. There are at least three additional underground wings."

"Good. This will help." Stef buttoned her black silk shirt, zipped her tailored blended-silk trousers, and slipped a slim black leather belt around her waist. "I've asked Roberts to take you back to the town house when we leave here. It may be late when we return, and the soldiers will need to feed. You'll be safe in our quarters."

"You'll need to feed too. I'll be there."

"You've hosted three times in less than twenty-four hours. I'll feed before I return."

"Where?"

Stef regarded her impassively. "Gray if there's time, elsewhere if there isn't."

"Elsewhere," Lena said slowly. "A random host—on the street?"

"They don't suffer, Lena."

"Oh, I know what they feel." Lena's face heated. She was not going to be jealous of orgasms that meant nothing to Stef, but she still had a hard time thinking of anyone else touching what was hers. "Bring them home."

Stef went still. "It means nothing to me, Lena."

"Maybe so—but you mean everything to me."

Stef sighed. "I'll instruct Roberts to call my blood servants."

"No Gray?"

"Not without you."

Lena's breath hitched at the swift arrow of arousal that lanced through her. She had an image of reclining on one of those velvet sofas, Stef at her neck, other hands, other mouths on her breasts, her belly, her… "Stef—stop."

Stef smiled. "Would you mind?"

"You're trying to distract me."

"I have to go." Stef kissed her. "Stay with Roberts."

Lena grasped Stef's hand. "Why do you have to go with them? Can't one of your soldiers lead the strike force?"

"I am a newly Risen heir. I have to show my strength immediately or my claim may be challenged." Stef brushed her lips over the pulse in Lena's throat. "Besides, Alex is my new warlord. My soldiers must see she has my support—and she needs to show her allegiance to me publicly."

"Alex." Lena sat on the edge of the bed. "You've taken a Were, one of Ashley's _centuri_, to lead your soldiers?"

Stef smiled thinly. "Alex is a Vampire. A very powerful Vampire, and she's one of mine. I need her in a position where I can control her, and I need the strength she will bring to my Clan."

Lena nodded. "Ashley's not going to be happy."

Stef lifted a shoulder. "How the Alpha feels about it is not my concern."

"You know, you've developed tunnel vision since you've risen."

"You disapprove?"

"You've always been a bit arrogant," Lena said casually. "But I used to have the feeling that you were a little more diplomatic. You seem to have lost that skill."

"Diplomacy is generally the province of the weak."

"As I was saying, arrogant." Lena rose and wrapped her arms around Stef's shoulders, leaning into her. "These Weres are our friends. And your allies. I want to know when you go out to fight with them that you go as a united force."

"Centuries past, Vampires ruled the armies of the Weres."

"I know there's a lot I need to learn about your history, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it is history, isn't it?"

"It's also true what is said about history repeating," Stef said. "The old alliances are being resurrected."

"Yes, but the balance of power between Weres and Vampires has changed. If the Vampires aren't flexible enough to deal with the current reality, you'll all be in danger, no matter how strong you are individually."

"That's what my father said, when he supported the Exodus." Stef considered Lena contemplatively. "You'd make a good _conseiller_."

Lena smiled. "I make a good consort. And your father was right."

"The Viceregal didn't think so."

"The Viceregal is protected by an army of guards and who knows how many secret alliances." She kissed Stef. "At least let your warlord lead the strike. I really can't take you coming home full of holes again."

"I'm Risen now. Much harder to kill."

"But not impossible." Lena shuddered. "I know you need to do this—we all need to know who's behind these experiments. The story needs to be told, and I've been sitting on it long enough."

"Why does it have to be you who tells it?"

Lena searched Stef's eyes. Opaque crimson, ringed in black. Endless night. "Because this is what I do."

"It's dangerous."

"Excuse me? Newly Risen, just-dead Vampire?" Lena poked a finger in Stef's chest. "Don't even go there. Just do this thing and get your pale ass home. Then we'll talk about when and how I break the story."

"And if I refuse?"

"If you don't tell me what you find when you return, I'll have to look for another way to get the information."

Stef grew completely still. "And what would that be?"

"I'll have to ask whoever might know." Lena drew a slow breath. "I'm a reporter, and I'm human and always will be. I have a responsibility."

"To humans first?"

"I don't put humans above Vampires, or Vampires above humans. I won't make that choice."

"Even considering who I am?" Stef asked so softly her voice was a razor in the air.

"Especially considering who you are." Lena kissed her. "I'm not losing you to your biology or xenophobia or anything else. I love you too much."

"I remember now why I fell in love with you," Stef whispered, pulling her close.

"Why is that?"

"You force me to feel."

"No, darling—I just make it safe for you to acknowledge what's already there." The kernel of fear that had been slowly growing in Lena's heart since Stef had risen fractured and blew away on the wind of Stef's tenderness. Stef had changed, grown stronger, harder, more lethal. But her heart had survived. Lena kissed her again.

Stef stroked her cheek and stepped away. "It's time for me to go. The Alpha is on her way." Stef laughed. "And you're right as always. She's not happy."


	16. Chapter 16

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

"We have a problem," Bo said, intercepting Ashley outside her headquarters.

"Tell me." Ashley stopped midstride. If Bo wanted to speak to her without the other _centuri_ present, the problem was highly sensitive. Or highly dangerous. "We don't have much time. Spencer went to get the Rover. She'll drive tonight."

"Of course." Bo looked surprised but didn't argue. "Alex is awake and was conferring with Stef's soldiers."

"She's better?"

"She must be." Bo's voice grew harsh. "She's Foster's new warlord."

"I take it that's the problem."

"Yes. Alph—"

Ashley spun around and bounded across the yard onto the porch of the infirmary. She landed in a crouch just as the door opened and Stef Foster walked out.

"You were looking for me?" Stef said as her guards moved in behind her, their expressions blank, their eyes kindling with nascent flames.

"You've overstepped for the last time, Vampire." Ashley straightened, the full length of her claws exploding through her fingertips so sharply blood dripped onto the rough-hewn logs at her feet. The Vampire guards grew as still as the water in a frozen lake, their hunger so rabid Ashley's wolf set to spring.

Stef, appearing unaffected by the richest blood in the Northern Hemisphere being wasted without a care, slid her hands into the pockets of her trousers and regarded Ashley calmly. "I could play games with you, Alpha, but we don't have time for it. My Vampires are mine to do with as I will. We have nothing to discuss."

"Alex is not yours." Ashley's wolf was in midshift, and Ashley had no urge to rein her in. She'd been reining her in all day, and right now, she welcomed a fight. She almost wished the Vampires would try feeding from her. She'd had to compromise with Spencer about her participation in the upcoming mission because her mate demanded it, and above all else, she honored her mate's independence. She did not have to honor anything with a Vampire. They were no longer her masters and never would be.

"Nor is Alex yours. We share her in some ways, perhaps," Stef said quietly, "but she is my warlord now. Since we're allies, you should welcome a friend to the Pack at my back."

"Friend," Ashley growled. "Then perhaps, _friend_, you can explain why Carmen shows signs of having been fed from while in captivity. What do you know about Vampire involvement in the assault on my young?"

"Nothing."

Ashley cocked her head at the swift answer that said little. Vampires were master negotiators as well as master manipulators. They were nearly as hard to negotiate with as the Fae, who were so clever a wrong word could put you in their debt for a century. "And what do you suspect?"

"What I know," Stef said, "is that conclusions based on appearances alone are often wrong. Limited facts can be dangerous."

Ashley turned to Bo, who had followed her. "Give us space."

Bo curled her lip, staring at the Vampires at Stef's back. "I'm not leaving you outnumbered with them."

Stef signaled her guards to back up. "Your Alpha is safe with me, little Wolf."

"_Imperator_," Bo said, locking eyes with Stef.

"Of course," Stef said.

Bo stepped away and Ashley said, "What else do you know?"

"One of Madison's Vampires was at the installation. She carried your young to me."

"A rescuer or a jailor?" Ashley snarled. The idea of Carmen and Alice being at the mercy of humans _and_ Vampires drove her wolf into a frenzy.

Stef paused. "I don't know."

"If Vampires are in league with the humans at the expense of the Weres, where do you stand?" Ashley felt Bo move back to her right shoulder, a protective stance and a signal to the Vampire soldiers not to make any aggressive moves.

"You show little respect for your allies," Stef murmured.

"Maybe because Vampires interpret the word differently." Ashley wanted to trust Stef, welcomed her solidarity in a world that suddenly wanted her and her Pack gone, but she couldn't afford to be wrong. The welfare of her _centuri_ was at stake in the coming fight. The future of her whole Pack could be at risk. "Funny that Madison—your Viceregal—had someone there the very night we raided the place. I don't like coincidences."

"Are you accusing me of something?" Stef asked icily. "I've been patient with your insinuations and your insults, but I'm done defending myself to someone who claims to be my ally."

"And I wonder why I'm just hearing about Madison's minion now," Ashley growled.

The door behind Stef opened and Lena stepped out with Alex and one of Stef's guards—a human. Stef didn't move, but her eyes glowed hot.

"Roberts," Stef said, her focus still on Ashley, "take Lena to the vehicle."

"Yes, Lie—"

"What's going on?" Lena asked, avoiding Roberts' grasp and sliding up next to Stef.

"I believe the Alpha is spoiling for a fight," Stef said.

Bo growled a warning.

"Stand easy, _Imperator_," Ashley murmured. She would not fight, with Stef's mate in danger of injury.

"I don't take my alliances lightly, Alpha," Stef said, turning slightly so her body shielded Lena. "I assume you don't either."

"I stand ready to support you and your Clan." Ashley tested Stef's resolve, adding, "We will need to confront Madison about what you witnessed."

Stef's brows rose ever so slightly. "The Viceregal is a formidable opponent."

"So are we." Ashley caught Alex's gaze. "Where do you stand?"

Alex, dressed in a black shirt and jeans, her blonde hair wilding around her shoulders and her teal eyes ringed with crimson, took a position opposite Bo on Stef's left. "Your orders, Liege?"

"Warlord," Stef said, her gaze never leaving Ashley's, "see my consort to the limo."

"Yes, Liege."

Ashley snarled. "Alex."

"Alpha Davies," Alex said. She did not lower her gaze.

"You traitor," Bo snapped.

Lena stepped into the gap between the Vampires and the Weres. "Well, now that we've all said our hellos, maybe we can get down to business. Remember the captives we're trying to find?"

"_Centuri_," Ashley said to Alex, ignoring everyone else, "you swore a blood oath to me and to the King High _centuri_. Your bond is immutable."

"If I may speak," Alex said, directing her statement to Stef.

Ashley's wolf raged and she dragged her back. This was not the place to fight. "You ask permission of a Vampire?"

"I am a Vampire," Alex said, her chin tilting upward in defiance.

"You are Were."

"Warlord," Stef said, "make your statement. We have work this night."

"As of this night, I pledge my service to Liege Stef Foster and the Night Hunters Clan. I seek the wolf Alpha's permission to be released from my oath," Alex said, her voice emotionless, her face without expression. "I ask that I may be allowed to leave honorably, without challenge."

"And if I refuse?" Ashley said. Beside her, Bo trembled, fury coating the air with a haze of pheromones and adrenaline.

"Then I seek challenge," Alex said.

Before Ashley could answer, Bo said, "I will accept the challenge in the Alpha's stead."

Ashley glanced at Bo, saw her pelt flare and her wolf surge. The blood addiction—or attraction—between Alex and Bo made the whole situation more volatile, but there was something else fueling Bo's fury. She pulled air deep into her lungs. Lauren. All over both of them. No wonder they were half-crazy and spoiling to fight. Ashley searched for Lauren, but she was not in the Compound. Just as well. "My _centuri_ cannot rescind their oaths."

"I am not _centuri _any longer," Alex argued. "I ceased being _centuri _when I died. I choose to serve as I must live. I choose to fight as a Vampire."

Ashley raked a hand through her hair. "You don't know _how_ you can live."

"I know for now, Alpha," Alex said. The mask fell away and torment rode through her eyes. "Please, Alpha."

"I do not release you from your oath," Ashley said. Beside her, Bo tensed, her claws erupting, her canines dropping. "But there will be no challenge. You are free to serve Stef, until such time as you relinquish the oath to her and return to the Pack."

"Thank you," Alex said.

"Don't thank me. I've done you no favors." Ashley spun on her heel and vaulted from the porch. Over her shoulder she called to the Weres and the Vampires. "Let's hunt this night as one."

* * *

"Come." Bo motioned to Kenzi, Vex, and Dyson to fall in behind her and Ashley.

Leading her _centuri_ across the Compound, Bo drew up short when she saw Spencer waiting with another Were by the Rover just inside the fortified gate. Tamsin. Bo growled. Tamsin straightened and snarled.

"The Prima will drive," Ashley said, pulling open the rear compartment of the Rover. "Tamsin is with her tonight. The rest of you, with me." She glanced at Bo. "_Imperator_, are your warriors ready?"

Bo stared at Tamsin for another long second, waiting for Tamsin to drop her gaze. When Tamsin finally did cast her eyes aside, Bo said curtly, "Yes, Alpha," and climbed into the back of the Rover. Inside, she settled on one of the long benches next to Ashley, across from Kenzi and Vex. Dyson sprawled on the floor with his back against the front seats. Spencer slid behind the wheel and turned to look back.

"What about the Vampires?" Spencer asked.

"They have their own vehicles," Ashley said. "They'll follow."

"Good, then let's go." Spencer eased the Rover through the partially open gates and stopped far enough away for the limos to exit. Two cars filled with Vampires and their guards and servants pulled in behind her. She waited until the gate swung closed, securing the Compound, before she set off into the forest. "Same approach as last time?"

"Yes," Ashley said. "There'd be no reason to guard that access road now."

"Unless they know we're coming," Bo said.

Ashley grumbled, reminding Bo of her place. "We'll have Aiden run a satellite sweep of the area before we get there. If they have vehicles hidden along the way, he'll find them." Ashley smiled thinly. "And if they've posted sentries, we'll smell them."

Satisfied, Bo settled back against the wall, closing her eyes as the Rover bounced over the narrow forest trail toward the highway. She could smell Tamsin in the front seat, scent the aggression rolling off her. She slid her hand under her T-shirt and traced her fingers over the healing scratches on her chest. The scratches Lauren had made. Her clitoris tightened as she remembered Lauren's mouth against her skin, recalling the sweet torture of Lauren's fingers stroking her to release. She wanted more. She wanted to know that no one else tasted Lauren, satisfied her. She rumbled and twitched, scraping her claws over tight nipples.

Ashley said, "Now is not the time to be thinking about breeding."

"That wasn't what I was thinking," Bo said without opening her eyes.

"Wasn't it? Whatever you're thinking, it's loud enough for everyone to feel."

"My apologies, Alpha," Bo said, straightening.

"I need you focused."

"I am."

"Good. I need Tamsin tonight—the Prima needs her."

Bo couldn't hold back the growl. "Lauren refused her. She should learn her place."

"Bo," Ashley said quietly, "Lauren is not just any Were."

Bo swung her head slowly until her eyes glanced over Ashley's face, as close as she would come to warning her Alpha not to come between her and this female. "I know what she is."

"No, Bo," Ashley said, "you don't. Listen to her. Trust her. She knows what she needs."

Bo gritted her teeth. Now was not the time to challenge. Ashley couldn't know what she felt. She glanced into the front seat, saw the Prima at the wheel, where she had no business being when she carried the Alpha's young. Spencer should be back in the Compound, where she would be safe and protected. Maybe the Alpha did understand that one female could change everything, even instincts borne over centuries. It made no matter to her what the Alpha thought. She would not watch Lauren satisfy her needs with others. When she returned, she would make sure Lauren understood that.

* * *

Spencer sniffed the air and turned to Ashley. "I don't scent anyone in the woods." The last time they'd stood on the ridge overlooking the experimental installation, they'd discovered cat Weres posted throughout the forest, mercenaries hired to guard the far perimeter. Tonight, all she smelled were deer, fox, opossum, and smaller prey.

Ashley surveyed the labyrinth of buildings through night binoculars. "I don't see any guards along the fence."

The sprawling complex was illuminated sporadically by halogen lights suspended on poles in uneven intervals along the expanse of concrete that extended fifty yards in all directions from the building. A huge parking lot, eerily empty, stretched from one end of the complex nearly to the tree line at the foot of the mountain. Surveillance cameras were mounted along the fence line and on the eaves of the building. Anyone approaching the building would be exposed long enough for the cameras to capture them, unless they were Vampire-fast.

"The surveillance cameras aren't moving," Ashley noted.

Spencer rested her hand at the base of Ashley's spine. Anytime she wasn't touching her, an ominous sense of foreboding spread through her. As soon as she felt the heat of Ashley's skin beneath her fingertips, the disquieting sensations disappeared. She'd always needed contact with her, but now the physical need was acute. "It looks deserted, but that doesn't make sense. I wonder if that's not just a lure."

"No one knows we're coming," Ashley said.

"Not necessarily. I agree with Bo—the anonymous caller could be trying to trap you. Anyone who knows you knows you will come if there's any chance at all there are Weres held prisoner in that building."

Ashley glanced at her, moonlight dancing over the surface of her golden eyes. "That would seem a very elaborate ruse. It's not as if I'm not exposed at other times."

"Yes," Spencer said, the muscles in her jaws tightening painfully. She was well aware of how vulnerable her mate was whenever she walked into the capitol building, when she appeared on television, when she was interviewed by friend and foe alike. Just as Ashley wanted to keep her safe in the den until the young were born, she wanted Ashley to do all her business from the headquarters building, secure in the heart of the Compound. Neither was possible. "But out here we're isolated. This is the place for a clandestine attack—I doubt whoever built this place wants publicity. You'll be a huge target until you're inside, and then you'll be a potential captive."

"Then we'll have to be very careful." Ashley stroked Spencer's face. "I promise."

"I think I should bring the Rover down to the edge of that parking lot over there," Spencer said, pointing to the vacant expanse. "We can stay under cover right at the tree line but be nearby in case you need to evacuate injured."

Ashley rumbled. "I don't like you being that close to the building."

"We'll have a clear view of anyone who might be coming," Spencer said. "We'll have plenty of time to evacuate if we have to."

"All right, but you don't break cover for any reason."

Spencer remained silent. If Ashley was in danger, she was not going to stand by waiting. "We send the Vampires in first?"

"With their speed, they'll be able to reach the installation without being seen—if anyone inside is monitoring the perimeter."

"You'll go in skin?"

"Unless there's some need to shift. Easier to handle the mechanics of the building with hands."

"Just be careful."

Ashley kissed her. "I will."

Spencer and Ashley walked back to the vehicles. Stef leaned against the front fender of her fortified limo with Alex and three of her soldiers. The second vehicle had continued on to Sacramento with Roberts, Lena, and several soldiers.

Ashley said, "We don't see any guards. We'll follow you down. As soon as you clear the side entrance, we'll come in behind you."

"Something is off," Stef said. "An installation this size should have at least a skeleton security crew at night. There are always people working—maintenance, engineering, if nothing else. This looks like a trap."

"It might be," Ashley said. "But if it is, we need to know who set it. Without getting inside, we can't be certain who—or what—we're facing."

"How much damage are you willing to accept to find out?" Stef asked.

Spencer's stomach tightened at Ashley's slow, dangerous smile.

"These bastards took my young. Now they may be holding more Weres. Damage is not an issue."

"These might not even be your Weres," Stef said.

"That's going to change," Ashley said.

"Then I can see I've chosen the right ally." Stef motioned to Alex. "Take point. If there are cat Were guards down there, you may scent them sooner than we do. Kill any you find."

"Yes, Liege." Alex didn't look at Ashley as she turned, signaled to the soldiers, and misted into the trees.

Ashley turned to Bo and Kenzi. "You'll take the front with me. Vex and Dyson, guard our flanks."

"Yes, Alpha," the _centuri_ answered in unison.

And then they were gone and Spencer was left alone with Tamsin, wanting nothing more than to follow. A stirring in her belly, warm and strong, reminded her of why she had let Ashley go alone.


	17. Chapter 17

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Ashley crouched at the edge of the tree line with Bo beside her. Kenzi had circled through the forest to watch the main access road, and Dyson and Vex guarded their flanks. The Vampires had been gone almost a minute—more than enough time for them to cross the five-hundred-yard expanse to the loading dock entrance in the rear. She hadn't seen anything happening at the installation that suggested Stef and her soldiers had been observed or intercepted. "Let's go."

They broke from the underbrush and streaked across the open expanse of concrete, sticking to the shadowed areas beyond the floodlights. On their last foray, the entire place had been brightly lit, but now half the lights were out around the perimeter, providing them plenty of cover. They vaulted up onto the loading platform, keeping close to the wall and away from the immobile security cameras. Ashley tried the handle below the big red sign declaring "Security Alarm Will Sound—No Entrance." The handle turned. She pushed on the windowless metal door, and she and Bo slipped into the wide, empty hallway. The door swished closed behind them and Ashley lifted her head, scented. Her nose wrinkled. Industrial waste—acrid and sour, cleaning fluids, recirculated air that was flat and stale. She growled, thinking of Carmen and Alice trapped in this lifeless place for weeks. "If we find them, show no mercy to whoever is holding them."

"Yes, Alpha," Bo said swiftly. "Let me search this wing. You should stay—"

"Let's not waste time," Ashley said and strode down the dimly lit corridor. A few doors stood open on darkened rooms. Most were closed. The blank faces of the motionless security cameras turned blind eyes on their passage. They reached the far end of the wing that ended at the central elevator shaft. "Clear."

"And empty." Bo slid the Glock she carried in her right hand into the waistband of her BDUs. "We could search faster in pelt."

"Yes," Ashley agreed. "And stamp our signatures on any dead we leave behind. Bullets and blades carry no names." Ashley halted, sensing a disturbance in the air.

Stef appeared from around the corner. "Did you see anyone outside?"

"No. Anything in here?" Ashley asked.

Stef shook her head, frowning. "Nothing. All the upper levels appear to be empty. They're mostly engineering and maintenance. The few labs seem to be very basic and mostly unused."

"For show, maybe," Ashley said. "We know the real experiments were going on underground."

"If we go down, our escape routes will be vulnerable."

"I'll go down. Bo will stay here to guard our rear."

Bo's eyes sparked, but she knew better than to question Ashley's orders in the field.

Stef nodded. "Alex and I will go with you. Dani can stay with your _imperator_."

"Agreed. According to Lena's drawings," Ashley said, "several wings extend from the central tower with fire stairs adjacent to the elevators. This is the wing we were in last night, where we found our young below us. There are more we haven't searched."

"Let's go down the stairs by the elevator and work our way around the core," Stef said. "Someone must know the perimeter has been breached by now, even if they're monitoring remotely. We don't have much time."

"They've clearly abandoned this installation. Maybe they expected us to return," Bo said.

"Or _hoped_ we would," Ashley growled. She couldn't believe Carmen and Alice had been mere pawns in some elaborate trap to draw her out, but she couldn't discount the possibility.

"Ten minutes," Stef said, "and then we need to abort. Lena thinks there are three more wings mirroring the ones we know about."

"Then we need to hurry," Ashley said as Alex and Dani came around the corner and joined Stef.

Alex tapped her fist to her chest in salute. "The stairwells are clear, Liege, as are the other wings on this level."

"We're going down to search the underground labs," Stef said to Alex. "You're with me. Post Dani and Timothy to secure the exits."

"Yes, Liege." Alex turned to Dani, her gaze passing over Bo without a pause. "Post Timothy outside. You coordinate interior coverage with the Were."

"Yes, Warlord," Dani said, spinning to face Bo. She grinned. "Try to stay out of the way of any bullets, Wolf."

"Don't worry about me, Vampire," Bo rumbled. "Just watch your back. I'll worry about my Alpha." She pointed to the fire door to the right of the elevators. "Last night their forces set up cross fire from in there. Be careful."

Dani nodded, her amused expression growing sharp and hard. "We will. One-minute security checks?"

"Roger," Bo said, pulling the two-way from her pants pocket.

"If we're not back in ten minutes," Ashley said to Bo, "take Spencer back to the Compound. We'll make our own way home."

"Yes, Alpha."

Ashley and Stef started down the stairwell and Stef glanced at Ashley. "Do you still think this is a trap?"

"I know it is. Even if this installation is marked for deactivation, someone should be here."

"Why bother looking, then?"

"I think you were the one who mentioned earlier that it's a bad idea to base decisions on appearances. We won't get another chance to search this place." Ashley paused at the door to the lower level and listened. Nothing. She pushed through and surveyed another long, dim, empty corridor. "I'm not even sure who the target is here. After all, it was your consort who received the call. Maybe you're the one they're interested in luring out."

"With the threat of imprisoned Weres?" Stef smiled grimly. "A convoluted plan at best."

Ashley said, "You don't need to stay, Vampire. You made the initial pass and cleared the way for us. No need to risk yourself or your soldiers."

Stef's mouth lifted slightly. "As one, remember, Alpha?"

"Then let's get this done. I want to get back outside. This place is like a tomb."

Stef laughed. "I was thinking I rather liked it."

* * *

"Prima," Tamsin said, pointing to the woods behind them, "the wind shifted. I scent someone."

"What do you think it is?" Spencer asked, her attention riveted on the building. Ashley had been gone almost ten minutes. With every passing minute, the foreboding pressure in her chest grew. She expected to see a caravan of Humvees filled with armed mercenaries converging on the installation any second.

"At least one human, on that ridge above us," Tamsin said.

"Find them, bring them back."

"The Alpha said I was not to leave you."

"The Alpha isn't here right now," Spencer said sharply. She understood the ingrained, immutable instinct to act upon the Alpha's commands, but she needed the Weres to obey her in Ashley's absence. They could not question or hesitate. Lives might depend upon it. "You have your orders. Find him."

"Yes, Prima." Tamsin's smile in the moonlight was feral.

"Alive, Tamsin…and able to talk."

Tamsin growled. "They tortured Carmen and Alice."

"I know. That's why I want to know the names of everyone involved. One death will not be enough."

Tamsin glanced toward the building and back to Spencer. "The Alpha will be upset if I don't stay here."

"The Alpha is my concern." Spencer softened her words. The wolves would adjust to the new order in the Pack in time, but time was something they didn't have with Ashley in the field, in possible danger. "Go now, before we lose him."

"I won't be long."

"Do what you have to do, and, Tamsin—"

"Yes, Prima?"

"Be careful."

Tamsin shifted, and her sleek brown wolf bounded soundlessly into the forest. Spencer scanned the road leading down from the mountain on the far side of the installation. She might have been looking out over a ghost town. She checked her watch. She'd give Ashley another three minutes and then she was going in after her.

* * *

"Alex," Stef said, "clear this wing."

"Yes, Liege."

Alex disappeared so quickly Ashley almost blinked in surprise. She'd gotten so used to Alex being at her side—as she'd grown up, as she'd assumed the mantle of power, as she'd faced her enemies, public and private. Alex had been with her, as Bo had been with her, unchanging, unchangeable. And now she was gone. Not just from sight, with the uncanny speed of the Vampires, but gone from Ashley's life, leaving aching loss.

"She needs this," Stef said, as if reading her mind. "Without purpose, she would be dangerous. I cannot allow Vampires to exist who might threaten all of us."

"I could have given her purpose," Ashley said.

"But not control her—not now."

Ashley couldn't disagree, and it rankled that she had to concede power to anyone. But if she had to entrust one of her wolves to someone outside her Pack, she'd choose this Vampire. "Just take care of her."

Stef laughed. "Always so concerned."

Ashley growled, checking the rooms they passed. Laboratory benches, most of them still holding equipment, with obvious gaps where some had been removed. Desks with books still on them. Trash bins waiting to be emptied. It was as if the people who populated this building simply got up and walked out in the middle of whatever they were doing. Maybe they had. Maybe there'd been a biological breach or a chemical spill. Maybe there'd been a viral contamination. If that were the case, the safety gates recessed in the ceiling at regular intervals should have come down, isolating the areas at risk. Some of these labs had to be Level 3 and 4 labs. They would have been the first to be locked down if there'd been an industrial catastrophe, but all of the pressurized portals appeared to be functional. None were locked.

"It's as if everyone was ordered to evacuate, but nothing seems to be wrong."

Alex appeared beside them. "This wing is clear, but I think there's another area beyond this one." She pointed to a solid metal barrier that blocked the far end of the corridor. A retinal sensor on the wall next to it appeared dark—inactive. "Behind there, I scent Were."

Ashley charged to the door, pressed her hand against it. Sniffed the air. She sensed nothing. She stretched her awareness, felt Bo floors above her, Dyson, Kenzi, and Vex outside. In the distance, Spencer and Tamsin. But nothing inside. Nothing beyond the cold metal. "I don't scent anyone."

"They're there," Alex said. "The spoor is clear."

"How can you tell if I can't?"

"I don't know," Alex said, "but somewhere beyond that barricade, there are other Weres."

Stef said, "There may be silver residual in the air or the walls. Alex's Vampire blood may give her resistance to it."

Ashley nodded. Another unexpected change in Alex's abilities. No time to consider what that meant. "We need to get in there."

"There might be a way to trigger the sensor if we can activate it," Alex said.

"We don't have time." Ashley drove her clawed fist into the metal. The barricade buckled but did not give. With a roar, she struck again and again until a rent appeared big enough for her hand. She tore the door from its frame, the metal peeling down like the lid of a tin can. Beyond the shredded gateway, darkness beckoned.

* * *

A faint ripple in the air alerted Spencer to movement in the underbrush behind her. Tamsin returning—with a human. She smelled blood and fear and watched Tamsin drag a human male in camo fatigues and dark boots from the forest. Tamsin pushed him down on his knees in front of Spencer. About thirty, big, but not fat. Nothing remarkable about his shaggy blonde hair. The skin above his unshaven chin was faintly pock-marked and smudged with dirt and sweat. Blood seeped from scrapes on his left cheek and jawline. He appeared to be otherwise undamaged. _Well done, Lieutenant._

"He says he has information," Tamsin said, her wolf still ascendant. Her long canines and heavy jaw made her words thick and gravelly. "So I didn't kill him right away."

"Who are you?" Spencer asked. "Tell me now why I shouldn't let my wolf finish what she started."

"My name is Glen. I'm the reason you're here."

* * *

"Wait," Alex said before Ashley could step through into the murky hallway. "Let me go first."

"No," Ashley said. "If there are Weres here, they are my responsibility now."

"And if it's warded with silver, you'll be useless to them."

Ashley snarled.

"Stop!" Stef tilted her head, listening. "Dani has found something. She's on her way down."

Dani appeared behind Stef, her face tense. "I searched the elevator shafts to be sure no one could circle behind you. This entire complex is cantilevered off that central core, like spokes on a wheel, and the core is packed with explosives."

"Did you find detonators?" Ashley asked.

"No. They're probably set for remote detonation."

Ashley glanced over her shoulder into the catacomb on the other side of the opening. "Two minutes." She vaulted over the door, telegraphing Bo, _Find Spencer, get her back over the mountain. Do it now._

Alex followed. Together, they loped down a narrow passageway. The only light filtered in from behind them, but Ashley had no trouble seeing in the dark. "How many?"

Alex frowned. "I can't tell. There's something off. Their signatures are all wrong."

"Maybe they're not Weres."

"No, they are. But—not."

"Dead?"

"No," Alex said. "Not all of them."

At the end of the tunnel, they found another barrier like the one they'd just come through. Alex ripped it free, wrenching it so far off its hinges the door clattered against the opposite wall and spun away like a discarded hubcap.

Ashley growled at the miasma of scents that accosted them from the dank space. Blood, disease, death. Rows of beds surrounded by monitors along the opposite wall. Most were empty, but not all. She held back a howl of rage and fury and strode across the room. The female in the first bed was dead, her body bloated, her features unrecognizable. The two in the beds beside her still lived. Ashley leaned over them, sniffed. Not Weres. Humans, infected humans.

"Were fever," Alex said flatly. "We should kill them."

"Please," one of the young girls moaned, her face glistening with sweat, her feverish eyes wolf-tinged. "Please help us."

Ashley thought of Alice and Carmen, chained, tortured, abandoned. Already these girls were part Were, but their chance of surviving was zero. She owed them justice. And mercy.

* * *

Bo stiffened, struck by a wave of wrath and urgency. Danger. The Alpha was in danger. She raced toward the fire stairs, stumbling when the command rifled into her consciousness.

_Find Spencer, get her back over the mountain. Do it now._

She took one step toward the stairwell, driven to find Ashley, to protect her. _Find Spencer. Get her back over the mountain. Do it now. _She whined deep in her chest, torn by loyalty and love. Abandoning Ashley went against everything she was. But obeying Ashley, especially in this, defined everything she believed in. She spun around and charged toward the exit. As she reached for the door, it opened and Spencer barged inside.

"What's happening? I felt Ashley. She's in trouble."

"We need to leave." Bo grasped Spencer's arm and pushed her toward the exit.

"I'm not leaving her." Spencer pulled away. "Where is she?"

"The Alpha ordered—"

Spencer grabbed Bo by the shirtfront. "Don't make me repeat this. _Where is she?_"

"Downstairs. I don't know what's happening, but there's danger. Prima—the Alpha can take care of herself. You have another duty."

"She's my mate." Spencer twisted her fist in Bo's shirt, her face morphing, her blue eyes splintering with golden shards. "Show me the way."

A tremendous explosion rocked the floor beneath Bo's feet and she fell to her knees. Spencer dropped beside her. The elevator shaft exploded into a fountain of flame, littering the hallway with burning shards of glass and metal. Her ears rang as thunder rolled down the hallway, battering her senses. She shielded Spencer as best she could from the flames lapping along the walls. Dani staggered out of the stairwell, her shirt on fire. She tore off the flaming material. Her face was scorched, the skin on her chest bubbling and crusting even where the shirt hadn't burned. She gasped, "UV radiation."

Bo staggered to her feet as Spencer pulled herself up along the wall.

"Where?" Spencer coughed. "Where are they?"

Dani shook her head. "Somewhere behind me—underneath us. If these floors collapse—"

Spencer started forward and Bo gripped her arm. "No, Prima."

"Let me go," Spencer snarled.

Bo yelled, "Help me get her outside!"

Dani grabbed Spencer's free arm, and together, they dragged Spencer snarling and thrashing from the inferno.


	18. Chapter 18

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

The building shuddered and the floor heaved under Ashley's feet. Chunks of tile, shards of metal, and flaming wood rained down. Ashley pulled the girl from the bed, sheltered her against her chest, and yelled to Alex, "Get the other one."

Without waiting to see if her order was followed, she sprinted toward the jagged opening Alex had made in the security barrier and leapt through. The hallway glowed red and a rush of heat struck her in the face. At the far end of the corridor tongues of fire lashed out of the stairwell, licking at the walls and floors. Portions of the ceiling had collapsed, and the piles of rubble formed a partial firewall, probably saving them from instant immolation. Stef slumped on the floor, her face and hands charred.

Ashley knelt beside her. "Stef. Stef, how bad?"

"Feels like a walk in the sun. Weak. Burning inside." Stef coughed and pushed herself up.

Alex said from behind Ashley, "The explosives were either laced with UV emittors or the blast triggered a radiation surge from somewhere in the building. I'll carry her—I'm not affected."

Ashley glanced up at her. Alex's bronzed skin was smooth and whole, unburned. Stef's flesh blistered more with each passing second. "Give me that one," Ashley said, indicating the unconscious human in Alex's arms. "You take your Liege."

"No," Stef said. "We can't get out the way we came in, but if you shift, your wolf might be able to."

"I'm not leaving you down here." Ashley tightened her hold on the girl in her arms. "Or them. There has to be another way out. They would need to bring in supplies, equipment, and these girls without coming through the main complex. We need to find it."

"Then I'll walk," Stef said. "Dani was in the stairwell when it collapsed. She might have made it out."

"So will we," Ashley said. She wasn't dying down here, far from Spencer, from her young. Her Pack needed her, and so did these half-Weres left behind to be incinerated. She'd find who did this. "Let's get out of this corridor. The walls of that lab may shield you from the radiation. Alex, go ahead of us and search for an exit."

Alex picked up the human, her attention on Stef. "Liege?"

"Go," Stef said.

"Can you make it?" Ashley asked. Blood streaked down Stef's neck and soaked her shirt.

"I'll make it."

"You can heal this, can't you?"

"Not as long as I'm still in the radiation field."

"What if you feed now?"

"Are you offering?"

Ashley grinned. "One-time deal."

Stef sucked in a shuddering breath. "I might take you up on it, but we need to get out of here first."

Ashley led the way back into the cavernous room, following Alex's scent deeper into the underground labyrinth. The lights had gone out with the explosion, and the air was thick with smoke and particulate debris. Visibility was almost zero. Behind her, she heard Stef stumble through the piles of wreckage. From what she knew, UV radiation exposure to a Vampire was equivalent to walking into the sun, and since Stef was newly Risen, her system was especially sensitive. The burns on the outside were just a reflection of the internal damage. Her cells were leeching oxygen, she was suffocating, and her tissues were dying. She needed healthy blood soon.

"Stef—just take a minute to—"

"No," Stef rasped. "I'm not going to be locked for eternity down here with you. Keep going."

"Good point," Ashley muttered. Her respect for the stubborn Vampire tripled. Her lungs burned and her legs trembled. Silver in the air. "I'm not feeding you for the next millennium."

The girl in Ashley's arms moaned. "Who are you?" she whispered brokenly against Ashley's throat.

"I'm your Alpha," Ashley murmured.

"Don't let them hurt me anymore."

"I won't. That's a promise."

"There's another passageway just ahead," Alex reported, appearing like a specter out of the clouds of floating wreckage. "It's partially collapsed and sounds like it's about to cave in completely. There's not much time."

Stef rasped, "Shift, Ashley, and leave the girls with us. If we don't make it out in time, you can bring help back."

"And what if you get trapped down here without blood?"

"We'll manage."

"These girls can't host for you," Ashley said. "They're both infected."

"Despite what you might think," Stef said, "we don't prey on the weak."

"Then you should let me feed you." Ashley snarled and thrust her face close to Stef's. The Vampire smelled sick. No way was she facing Lena Adams and telling her she'd led Stef to her death. "I'm not weak."

"Not yet." Stef grinned through cracked lips. "That's a pleasure I intend to reserve until I don't have to rush."

"Then we shouldn't waste time now. We came down together, we leave together." Ashley turned to Alex. "Lead the way, Warlord."

* * *

Spencer didn't want to hurt them, but they didn't leave her any choice. Once she let Bo and Dani drag her far enough away from the building that they weren't in danger of being immolated, she jerked her arms free and let her wolf have her way. Her skin stretched, her bones thickened, and wrath to match the blaze behind her poured out. She stopped her shift in half-form. She'd need both the strength and maneuverability of her wolf soon, but first she needed to see to her Pack. "The Rover is across the parking lot. Tamsin is there. Evacuate this area. Everyone—back to the Compound."

"You need to come with us," Bo said.

"You know I can't." Spencer blocked Bo's arm when she tried to grab her and took her to the ground. She held her down with a hand on her neck, but she did not break skin. She needed Bo to listen, not submit. "A strike force may be on the way to the Compound, and they need to be alerted. _You _need to be there to secure the Pack until the Alpha and I return."

Bo's eyes blazed with the ferocity of a dominant wolf, but she nodded. "Yes, Prima."

Spencer lunged to her feet and spun on Dani. The Vampire was bleeding, her chest and shoulder crusted and cracked with third-degree burns. She swayed, weakened, but her eyes were clear, and she gave no sign of the agony she must be suffering. "Where are they?"

"The Liege was behind me when I started back," Dani said. "The others were in an adjoining room—farther underground I think. If they haven't come out of the stairwell by now, it must have been too dangerous. They'll be looking for another way out."

Spencer fought down the blind urge to rush back into the building, to race through fire, to find Ashley. Panic tore at her throat. She had to think. Her mate was inside, in danger, hurt, possibly dying. She couldn't leave her any more than she could stop breathing.

"Get Lena on the phone," Spencer said to Bo as another section of the building collapsed and a geyser of flames shot into the sky. Spencer swallowed back bile. No one could have survived that conflagration.

"I've got her," Bo said a few seconds later, extending the phone.

"Lena," Spencer snapped. "I need you to study the plans. I need alternate exit routes, something not connected to the central core. I need it now, Lena."

"Everything I have is sketchy, especially concerning the underground areas. There could be corridors, entrances I can't see." Lena's voice rose, tight with anxiety. "Why, what's happening?"

"There's been an explosion. Some of our team are trapped inside and the main stairs are impassable. I need another way in. Can you see anything that looks like a direct route to the underground portion of the complex?"

"Oh God," Lena said, "let me pull up the aerials again."

"Hurry. Scan the terrain for signs of other roads. Something undeveloped—tractor paths, ATV trails, firebreaks."

"There's just the one road coming down from the mountain. There's nothing else developed in this whole area. I don't see…Wait, there's a fairly linear break in the trees just north of the complex."

"A road?"

"Maybe," Lena said. "Some kind of unpaved artery branching off from the main road about a half mile from the installation. It just goes off into the forest—doesn't look like it goes anywhere."

"That's because it probably ends at the entrance to the underground complex. Give me coordinates."

"These satellite images might be old. This could be nothing."

"It's all we've got." Spencer looked at Bo. "Give me your GPS." Bo pulled the locator from her belt. "Go ahead."

"Wait, wait," Lena said frantically. "All right. I've got it."

Spencer punched in the GPS coordinates that Lena read off the computer. "Keep looking. If you find anything else, call Bo."

"Should we send backup?" Lena said.

"No," Spencer said instantly. They needed to retreat, care for their injured, and regroup. "Where are you, exactly?"

"In Sacromento. At Stef's town house."

"Who's with you?"

"Right now, no one. But Roberts is here somewhere. Timothy, I think."

"Stay there and advise your security we've been attacked. It may be dawn before your people return. Make sure you have hosts available."

"Spencer—who—"

"We'll get them out, Lena."

"It's Stef, isn't it?"

"Not just Stef," Spencer said grimly.

* * *

Tears flooded Ashley's eyes, smoke charred her throat. Her lungs burned. The girl in her arms had gone limp and quiet, but her heart beat, faint but steady against Ashley's chest. The girl smelled sick, but she smelled like Were too. Ashley would not let her die.

"Stef, are you all right?"

"I've lost a lot of blood," Stef said, her voice ringing hollowly. "The radiation poisoning is spreading, affecting my senses. Ashley, if I don't—"

"You will," Ashley growled. "If we aren't out in another minute, I'll feed you."

"I thank you," Stef said, "but this close to rising, this damaged, I need bonded blood."

"Then I'll get you to Lena." Ashley pushed through air so heavy she felt as if she was slogging through mud. Impotence clawed at her insides. Maybe Stef was right—maybe she should let her wolf lead the way out. But Stef couldn't carry one of these sick girls, and Alex might need to carry Stef. If she left them, she might lose them all. Her wolf raged, caught in a trap and determined to escape. Spencer was outside somewhere—maybe under attack. Pain lanced through Ashley's belly as she battled the imperative to protect her mate at any cost.

"Alpha." Alex appeared out of the murk. "Stairs leading up, just ahead. They're blocked with debris, but this must be a way out."

"Leave the girl here with Stef and come with me." Ashley gently placed the unconscious human on the floor next to the one Alex had been carrying and bounded over the jumble of twisted concrete and steel to the stairs. Halfway up, a steel girder encased in rubble blocked the staircase.

"We'll have to clear this." She clawed a chunk of concrete loose and let it tumble down behind her. Alex squeezed in next to her, and they put their shoulders under the girder and heaved. It moved a few inches. Already, the stairwell was flooded with heat and smoke seeping up from below.

Stef called up, "The tunnel behind us is burning. It's up or nowhere."

"We are not dying down here," Ashley said. "I need your strength, Alex. Help me move this."

"Yes, Alpha."

* * *

Spencer ran along the overgrown track through the forest, the uneven ground lit by a flickering glow that painted the sky the colors of a bloody dawn. Fingers of gray smoke signaled she was close to the burning complex. Abruptly, she burst from the trees into a small clearing. An empty clearing. No sentry shack, no loading dock, no shed or storage unit. She'd gambled and she'd been wrong. Ashley was still trapped somewhere and she had failed her. She howled and dropped to her knees. Panting, she called her wolf and opened herself to the night. If Ashley lived, she would find her.

The panicked rush of creatures fleeing from the flames struck her first, and her skin tingled with the urge to run with them, to protect the young in her womb. The pelt thickened on her torso as her wolf fought to ascend. She shut her mind to the cries of the injured animals and the raging growls of her wolf and focused on Ashley, on her wild pine scent, her sharp earthy taste, the force of her essence flooding inside her. A ripple of connection pulled at her consciousness and she turned to her left. Spencer raced across the clearing and ripped the bushes and debris aside. There—hidden in the brush. A portal built into the side of the mountain, large enough to accommodate a small truck.

Two huge metal doors were set into the hillside, secured by a heavy chain and padlock. She grasped the chain and jerked, snapping the links. The metal seared crevices across her palms. Whatever lay below was burning. Anyone inside might already be dead.

She yanked the doors open and bounded inside.


	19. Chapter 19

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Madison leaned back in her leather-upholstered eighteenth-century desk chair, listening to the excuses of her _capitaine_ in New Orleans flow from the phone, and gazed at the gilded ceiling above her. Delicate flowers with maroon centers that resembled drops of blood bordered the ivory coffered panels. Strands of pure gold ran through the lacy pattern along the hand-carved crown moldings. After so many centuries, ordinary beauty rarely moved her anymore, and finding artists capable of providing her with pleasure, aesthetic or otherwise, had become increasingly difficult. When she'd relocated the last time and created her new lair beneath Gray, she'd expected to be here for three or four decades until she was forced to move on and reestablish herself with a new social identity in another city. All the same, she'd vowed long ago that she would not live like a transient for eternity. She would surround herself with splendor and immerse herself in pleasure. Now that the Exodus had made it unnecessary for Vampires to hide the signs of their immortality, she would no longer have to move periodically. She could devote herself to preserving her true passion—power.

When she'd allowed her underling to talk himself into an untenable position, she finally interrupted. "The thing is, darling, you are running a casino protected by my soldiers, financed by my money and resources, and you owe me tithe. You've missed two payments."

She waited to see if he would offer another excuse. He didn't know if he did, he'd be signing his death warrant. Immortality was relative, and a Vampire without his head would never see another moonrise. When he wisely allowed he did indeed owe everything to her, she added, "And the proper amount would be sixty-five percent of your quarterly intake. I'm sure you don't want me to send someone to review the terms with you."

His rapid, anxious agreement made her smile. Engendering fear was every bit as satisfying as precipitating pleasure. Perhaps more so, as the climax was so sweet. "I'm sure you'll take care of it promptly. I'll let you get back to work."

She rang off and made a note for Shane to pay him a little visit. A drop by from the Viceregal's enforcer usually ensured she would not have to make a repeat phone call. A gratifying warmth spread through her belly. Doing business satisfied her. Clean, ruthless, violent—but unsentimental and practical. Much like sex.

The phone rang and she answered it herself rather than letting it go through to voicemail or waiting for someone to pick up.

"Yes?"

"Are you free?" Isaac asked abruptly.

"Not exactly. This is the middle of my workday." She disliked his attitude—he seemed to feel that he was the leader of their small cadre, when in fact, of all the Shadow Lords the Vampires had the most at risk. When their loose alliance of humans and Praeterns had decided to thwart the mission of Ashley Davies and the Praetern Coalition by any means possible, they'd all accepted the chance of life-threatening repercussions. She had no doubt Ashley would go to war with her if Ashley discovered she had allied with enemies of the Pack. The most Isaac might suffer if his involvement was exposed would be social sanction and perhaps loss of some of his business associations. A great proportion of the human population might be opposed to Praetern sovereignty, but humans wouldn't go on record as supporting genocide, and their trappings of civility usually prevented them from killing each other over ideological differences. At least openly. The Fae were largely untouchable—no one had successfully gone to battle with them in millennia. As to Trick and his Weres, Ashley would crush him—and good riddance. He was a pathetic pretender next to a true Alpha like Ashley. Isaac was far from the leader of this group, but she still needed to cultivate his confidence. His money, his control over HUFSI, his many contacts in Sacromento and Washington had made him the architect of their plans. His obsession with destroying the Weres was only a breath away from extending to exterminating all Praeterns, and she didn't intend to allow him to take her by surprise. Hiding her annoyance, she asked, "What is it you need?"

"To speak with you for a few moments."

"All right."

"In person."

"Can't this wait?"

"I don't think you want it to."

Madison sighed. As Viceregal and Chancellor, she oversaw one of the largest territories in the world—and controlling half a country full of ruthless, independent predators was not easy. Unlike the Weres, the Vampires felt very little sense of community or loyalty that wasn't imposed by force. Some Vampires, the young or the aged, welcomed the protection of a more powerful Vampire and congregated in seethes controlled by a dominant leader, but in general the Clans segregated along bloodlines and functioned as feudal states. All six North American Clan leaders were aggressive, dominant Vampires—and each of them had an eye on her position. She did not want a war, not until she'd had a chance to build an army, and considering that Vampires rarely died and just as rarely produced offspring, recruiting soldiers from the limited ranks of those who might be qualified was a challenge.

If Isaac ever succeeded in creating his hybrid Weres or found a way to control born Weres, she would have access to the perfect soldier. The genetic link that bound Weres and Vampires centuries ago was broken, but science might possibly forge a new one, and with unlimited ranks of fierce fighters, she would not need to worry about securing her sovereignty. With her power base unassailable, she could look to Europe and even greater influence. To accomplish that, she needed to know what Isaac had planned. Then she could protect herself and her Vampires from fallout should the plans fail.

"Of course I'll make time, then, for you," Madison said. "Where would you like to meet?"

"I'm outside in the parking lot."

She laughed. "Really. Are you sure you wouldn't like to come inside? I can promise you an enjoyable experience."

"I'm quite sure you could," he said, his tone warming. "Regrettably, I have to decline."

"Some other time, then."

"Yes," Isaac said. "I know you're busy. Ten minutes should be plenty of time."

"I'll see you in two. And you can have all the time you need."

She disconnected and mentally called for Shane. A moment later the door to her office opened.

"You have need of something, mistress?" Shane asked.

"Yes," Madison said, rising to cross the room. "Isaac is outside. I need to see him."

"You don't intend to meet with him alone?"

"Darling, I can take care of myself."

"I'm quite sure you can. But there's no reason to put yourself in danger just to prove it. I'll go with you."

Laughing, Madison slid her arm through Shane's and leaned in to kiss her. "Mmm. Where have you been?"

Shane frowned, leading the way through the underground hallways to an exit only she and Madison used. "I was in the club. I didn't think you'd need me tonight."

"So you've been fucking Weres. Anyone I know?"

"No," Shane said abruptly, keying in the code to release the locks on the security door. She ascended the stairs first, checked the outside for any sign of danger, then reached down for Madison's hand. "No one important."

"You're restless," Madison murmured, stroking her nails down the side of Shane's neck. "I think we'll have to find someone for you to kill."

* * *

Stef leaned against the wall as chunks of rock and twisted metal rained down from the stairwell a few feet away. She remembered dying the first time, the burning pain, the dulling of her senses, the agonizing grief at leaving Lena. She hadn't fought it. She hadn't wanted Lena to try to save her. This time she struggled to stay alive. Lena had made the ultimate sacrifice—risking her own life for Stef's, and Stef couldn't let it end like this. She'd opened herself to Lena and let Lena be vulnerable to her. And now, without her bite, without her blood, Lena could end up the victim of mindless blood craving, and she could not let that happen. She would not let that happen. The smoke-filled air didn't bother her. She didn't get most of her oxygen from the air she breathed but from the blood she ingested, rich with ferrous carriers. She was better equipped than the others to withstand the flames that even now consumed the tunnel behind her, but the radiation had already done its damage. Her organs were shutting down, her systems failing. She wasn't sure she could stand.

From nearby, a weak moan took her attention away from her own dying body. One of the captives was awake.

"Please," a faint voice came to her out of the darkness. The girl coughed, her voice cracking. "Please, who are you?"

A hand found her thigh and feeble fingers plucked at her pants. Stef covered the girl's hand with hers. The girl was hot, burning from the inside, like her. A different kind of fever, but dying all the same.

"A friend," Stef said, her voice sounding empty as a well that had gone dry.

"Are we going to die?"

"No," Stef said. "Help is coming."

"Please don't leave me."

Before Lena, she'd cared little for humans. Like all Vampires, she saw them only as prey. Lena had taught her that humans might be physically fragile, but they could be valorous and foolishly brave. She squeezed the girl's hand. "I won't."

She only hoped she could keep her word.

* * *

In the dim space carved out of the mountainside, Spencer searched for some indication of a way inside. The loading area was the size of a football field, complete with winches, hoists, and pneumatic lifts. Three new-looking all-terrain vehicles were parked against one wall. Clearly, items were off-loaded here and then taken deeper into the complex. The entire place was dark, dark and empty. She tilted her chin, smelled smoke. The mountain was burning.

An ominous rumble rose from all around her, and the concrete beneath her feet shifted. The moment's instability reminded her of the time she'd been on the West Coast during an earthquake. This entire place was about to collapse.

She caught the scent of someone approaching from behind and whirled around. Dani vaulted through the open bay doors.

"Most of the aboveground complex is fully involved," Dani shouted. "The underground must be too. You need to go."

"Where's Bo?"

"She took the Rover back to the Compound, as you ordered."

"What are you doing here?"

"I've come to look for my Liege. Go," Dani said. "If they're here, I'll find them."

"We'll find them. There must be a stairwell or an elevator shaft," Spencer said. "You go right, I'll go left."

A huge crack appeared in the center of the concrete floor, and a roar like an avalanche cascading down a mountainside preceded the creak and groan of rock and metal shifting. The structure was folding in on itself, much the way the towers in Manhattan had accordioned when the temperature at their cores had reached a critical level, destroying the infrastructure of the steel and literally melting the buildings from the inside out.

"There," Spencer shouted, hope cresting in her chest. She pointed to a door with a sign, nearly obliterated by soot, warning an alarm would sound if opened. Beside it, an elevator, no doubt inoperable now. Spencer shoved against the bar holding the door closed and it moved an inch. Gathering all her strength, she shouldered it again and felt some obstacle on the other side preventing it from opening further.

"Let me help," Dani said, crowding in next to Spencer.

"Not with those burns on your shoulders," Spencer said. "You'll strip the flesh right off your bones."

Dani grinned. "If I don't return with my Liege, it won't matter. If she dies, her personal guard will all be sacrificed. Our allegiance to her is for life. Her life."

"Then use your hip," Spencer said, "because if we find them, you might need to carry them."

"Good thought," Dani said, and together they shoved again.

Finally, they wedged the door open enough to slide through, but when Spencer started to inch her way inside, Dani stopped her.

"Smoke," Dani said, wheezing. Blood streamed down her arms and chest. She pointed to the gray plumes wafting through the crevices in the walls and spaces between the rubble that blocked the stairwell. "If they came this way, they would have been trapped in the burning tunnel."

"They came this way," Spencer said, grabbing a chunk of metal and stone and throwing it out into the room behind them. "Ashley is down there. And so is your Liege. If you can walk, you should get out of here."

Dani's face set with determination. "I've already carried her dead body once. I'm not doing it again."

"Then we have to get down the stairwell. This has to be the only way out."

"If Stef was alive, she would sense me," Dani said, helping Spencer shove a section of broken wall aside. "She would reach me with her mind, and I don't feel her."

"Maybe she can't." Spencer nearly choked on the words. Except for that very brief whisper of connection outside in the clearing, she couldn't feel Ashley either. Even before they were mated, she'd been able to sense her on some deep level. Since their mating, Ashley always filled her mind and body and consciousness. If she thought about what might have severed their connection now, she would suffocate with despair. So she did the only thing she could do. She blanked her mind and dug down toward the flames.

* * *

Lauren rushed out of the barracks when the general alarm sounded. Weres streamed out behind her, hurrying to take up positions on the ramparts at the top of the stockade. She headed across the Compound to the infirmary but stopped when the gates crashed open and the Rover barreled inside. _Sentries_ jumped aside as the vehicle careened across the yard up to the headquarters building. The doors flew open and Bo leapt out, followed by the other _centuri_. They pulled someone out of the back of the Rover and dragged whoever it was into the building. Lauren reversed course and ran to catch up to them. Bo stopped her headlong rush on the porch.

"We need to prepare for an attack," Bo said. "You should stay in the infirmary in case we have wounded."

"You're hurt," Lauren said. Bo's entire left side was scorched. Large patches of skin on her shoulder and hip were burned and encrusted with debris. "You need attention."

"Later," Bo growled, turning away.

Lauren caught her undamaged arm. "Bo, where is the Alpha? And the Prima?"

Bo spun around, her teeth bared, her eyes glazed with pain and fury. "Missing."

The breath stuttered to a stop in Lauren's chest, but she forced the swell of panic aside. She slid her fingers down Bo's arm and clasped her fingers, letting Bo feel how much she trusted her, how much she believed in her. "What can I do?"

For a second, Bo swayed and Lauren moved closer, shielding her from anyone who might be looking. Bo was in command now, and the Pack needed a strong leader. She could not appear weak.

"We have to be ready for anything," Bo said. "The Alpha may be injured. Possibly the Prima too."

"Oh God," Lauren murmured. "Bo, what happened?"

"An explosion." Bo shook her head as if trying to clear her thoughts. "We have a prisoner—a human. I need to interrogate him now. He may know what we're facing."

"At least let me clean your wounds."

"No." Bo cupped Lauren's cheek. "If we're attacked, John has orders to evacuate the Compound. I want you to go with the others."

Lauren stiffened. "I'm a medic, Bo. I can't leave the fight. You know that."

Bo growled, her wolf in control. Red pelt streaked down her chest, over her abdomen. Her canines jutted out. She growled.

"Bo, I'll be careful," Lauren said soothingly, stroking Bo's face until she settled and her wolf relaxed. "Don't worry about me."

"I had to leave her," Bo said hollowly. "I had to leave the Alpha behind."

"You wouldn't have if there had been any other choice." Lauren kissed her. "I know that. She would have wanted you to protect us."

"I don't want to leave you."

"You're not." Lauren smiled though it took every ounce of willpower she had. "I'll be across the Compound in the infirmary. I expect you to report to me so I can take care of those wounds the minute you're free."

Bo nodded. "I might need you to bring Carmen and Alice over here. Are they well enough?"

"Kyla took them for a run. They were much better when they came back. Why?"

"This prisoner. He says he knows them."


	20. Chapter 20

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Shane opened the rear of the Town Car, and Madison slipped inside. Isaac sat on the far side of the plush leather seat exuding the air of confidence and entitlement of a man used to occupying the central chair in the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company. His charcoal pinstripe suit, monochrome silk shirt, and matching tie with subtle stripes complemented his brunette mane. His hair was carefully styled, and his tight jawline and wrinkle-free brow hinted at surgical enhancement. Isaac Felt, secret leader of Humans United for Species Integrity, was vain. Madison smiled to herself. Narcissism was a weakness to be exploited.

Shane closed the car door behind her and Madison slid to the center of the seat. The night was warm and she hadn't bothered with any kind of wrap. Isaac struggled, and failed, not to stare at her breasts, barely contained in a loosely laced red satin bustier, before his gaze traveled down to her low-cut black pants and exposed abdomen. She'd fed well upon rising, but the presence of such vulnerable prey stirred her desire to hunt. She rested a fingertip on the top of his hand. "I know you didn't come all this way just to talk to me." She laughed. "Of course, I could always hope."

"I'm afraid tonight is about business," Isaac said, sounding almost as if he really regretted it. She knew he loathed Praeterns, but like so many humans, he seemed fascinated by what he hated.

"Well then, I suppose we'll have to put pleasure aside." Madison slid her entire hand onto his thigh and enveloped him in a subtle thrall. His heart rate kicked up instantly. His blood rushed faster through his arteries, pulsing hot and thick beneath her fingers. His cock stiffened, and by the rigid set of his jaw, he wasn't used to his body responding without his permission. "At least for now."

Isaac cleared his throat and pushed back in his seat, casually folding the front of his suit jacket over the mound in his crotch. "We had a break-in at one of our installations last night. Ashley Davies led the raid."

"Really." Madison waited, wondering just how much of the truth he intended to tell her. Thus far, he'd kept the specific details of what his experiments entailed from the other Shadow Lords. She hadn't minded, because the less she knew, the less culpable she would be if they were exposed. On the other hand, knowledge was power, and she wanted as much of both as she could get. "Ashley doesn't seem the type to flout the law without good reason. She is, after all, a public figure and the representative of all the Praetern species in Washington. How do you know it was her?"

"We have…witnesses."

Madison nodded, uncertain if he knew Shane had been there when Ashley's forces arrived, and if he did, whether he would acknowledge it. Jenny Schecter was aware of Shane's involvement, of course, but Madison doubted Jenny shared everything she knew with Isaac—or anyone else. In this elaborate game, everyone had secrets. "I see. What was she after?"

"We can't be sure, of course, but we believe she was acting on misinformation. She was under the false impression that we had somehow detained some of her…Pack."

"Why would anyone want her to think that? As if you would be that foolish." Madison knew of Isaac's experiments with human females aimed at producing a synthetic toxin that would cause the nearly universally fatal Were fever in humans. Unleashing such a virulent substance among the human population would induce worldwide panic and turn humans against the Weres. Even Ashley would abandon her attempt to work with the humans if the autonomy of the Were species was in danger. Shane had reported that several Were females had been imprisoned and were the subject of experimentation. Isaac and Jenny Schecter had not shared that information with anyone.

If she kept Isaac talking, perhaps she'd find out why. "What possible use would Weres be to you?"

"None, of course," Isaac lied.

"Unless, of course, you were hoping to find some way to control them?"

Isaac grimaced. "As if that was possible. The only way to control a Were is with silver bullets."

"And what could Ashley hope to accomplish by such an obvious maneuver as attacking one of your laboratories?"

"Who can know what motivates irrational creatures like these Weres?" Isaac shrugged. "The point is, she's dangerous, and she needs to be stopped."

"I agree," Madison said, slowly tracing her fingertips along the sharp crease in his trousers. "Ashley Davies is a formidable and unpredictable opponent. But she's highly visible, and any assault on her is very likely to bring a public outcry and intense scrutiny. We had agreed we would try to dissuade her from pursuing the Coalition goals and convince her to our agenda before resorting to more…forceful means."

"True," Isaac said smoothly. "But that was before this open act of aggression. We don't know what she might do next."

"How much does Ashley know?" Madison doubted Isaac had any idea exactly how aggressive Ashley could be. Shane had said there were young Were females in that lab—and whether they were Ashley's or not made no difference. Ashley would never rest until she discovered who was responsible. Isaac was putting them all at great risk—his usefulness was rapidly drawing to an end. "Does she know who was behind the work there?"

"There's no way she could," Isaac said. "We've gone to great lengths to shield the identities of the investigators from the guar—employees. None of the scientists know the exact nature of our experiments. Even the location of the labs is camouflaged."

"Someone must be providing her with information, or why would she have broken in?"

"As I said"—Isaac said slowly, adjusting his cuffs. Diamond links glinted on his sleeves—"misinformation. All the same, we have to assume that particular site is no longer viable. We also have to assume that Davies will start looking for other labs."

"I imagine your security is very vigorous."

"Oh, it is. Everyone who works on sensitive projects is constantly monitored, their access to the labs is limited to work-specific areas, and any kind of data transmission—on- or off-site—is screened."

"Then she isn't likely to discover anything."

"Unlikely, but not impossible."

Madison grew tired of his game playing. "You, of course, have a plan."

He smiled and glanced at his platinum Rolex. "We've had to abandon the installation. Unfortunate, but necessary. My concern now is preventing further interference from Ashley Davies."

At last, he was getting to the reason for his visit. Madison moved closer until her thigh rested against his and her breasts brushed his sleeve. She enthralled him just enough to cloud his thinking but not enough that he would notice and try to resist. She could overpower him mentally, but she didn't want to arouse his suspicions. She just wanted him to be disinhibited enough to reveal his intentions. "How?"

"We either have to kill her or neutralize her…" Isaac said, his attention slowly shifting from her face to her breasts, his words slowing. "If we kill her…If we kill her, she becomes a martyr. But if we discredit her, have her removed from the Coalition…"

"What, darling?" Madison murmured, brushing her lips along the underside of his jaw. "What will you need to do?"

"Everyone saw that picture of her when she lost control."

Isaac seemed to lose his train of thought, and Madison found his hand and guided it into her top. "What about the picture, Isaac?"

"Animals. They're just animals."

"I know." Madison nearly smiled. Humans were so terribly easy and ultimately so terribly boring. She'd never been able to capture Ashley's mind and would have been disappointed if she'd been able to. Ashley had come closer to dominating her than any being she'd ever known, and after an age of enthralling others, she'd been thrilled to be enraptured. Right now, however, she welcomed her ability to manipulate her prey. She grazed her incisors over the bounding pulse in his throat and he gasped. "What is it you want to do, Isaac darling?"

"Force her to show the world what she really is."

"How?"

"Kill everyone she loves."

"Why are you telling me?" Madison punctured the skin in his neck and allowed a slow infusion of her feeding hormones to enter his bloodstream. If she fed from him fully he would orgasm, and she didn't want him to remember being enthralled. His blood trickled into her mouth and she swallowed. So much thinner than a Were's, but blood was always pleasurable. Her clitoris tightened with the first surge of blood. He gasped and his cock swelled against her hip. Only a moment more and she would need to stop. "What is it you want?"

"Your help."

"Tell me."

* * *

"One more time," Ashley said. "We've almost got it. Push again, Alex."

Alex rumbled, and Ashley felt the presence of another Alpha wolf crowd into the space beside her. Her own wolf charging at the invasion, Ashley growled a warning. Alex's body grew larger, heavier, a hulking form in the smoky, dust-filled air. Even in the dim light, Ashley could see Alex's transformation, a transformation Alex should not be able to make. She was not shifting—she was arrested in half-Were form, a fully functional hybrid wolf Were, a throwback to millennia past when the progenitors of the species walked on two legs while partially transformed. Now only the strongest Alphas and their mates retained that ability. Until Alex. But even in her half-form, Alex was unlike any Were Ashley had ever seen. Alex's Were characteristics were absent—her pelt hidden, her claws and fangs sheathed. Except for her size, her features were more Vampire than wolf. Ashley had never seen anyone, not even another Alpha, free her wolf while still in skin. Alex's wolf snarled, her amber eyes flashing gold.

Ashley roared in challenge and clamped a fully formed claw around Alex's neck. She squeezed until the breath stopped in Alex's throat and pulled Alex to her until they were eye to eye. She unleashed her wolf and let Alex see the power of a full-blooded Alpha. "Hold your wolf or I'll tear your throat out."

Alex shuddered, her eyes flashing crimson and slowly fading to wolf-amber. Ashley loosened her grasp and Alex panted and shook. Slowly, her body settled into its normal shape. "What happened? I don't remember—Alpha?"

"Your wolf wants out of here. So do I," Ashley said, letting her go. She'd worry later about what she'd just witnessed. "Now help me push this damn hunk of steel out of our way."

Ashley gathered all her strength, and this time when they shouldered upward, the girder shifted another inch. The murky darkness seemed to lighten. Ashley caught a scent of fresh air, the first smoke-free breath she'd had in what felt like hours. The gray veil that had fallen over her since the explosion began to lift. The effect of the silver that had weakened her and dulled her senses was dissipating. She heard the breeze rustling through the trees, scented life coursing through the forest. Her skin tingled and every sense sharpened. Her wolf sprang up, alert and searching. Spencer! Spencer was nearby. Ashley's wolf tore at her insides in a frenzy.

"Spencer," Ashley roared. "No! Go back."

"Ashley? Ashley!" Spencer's voice rose in triumph and joy. "Ashley, we're almost to you. Are you hurt? Ashley!"

"Go back," Ashley shouted furiously. "We'll get out. You're not safe here."

"I'll leave as soon as you're free."

"They're only a few feet away," Alex said. "Spencer and Dani."

Ashley said, "You feel them both?"

Alex nodded. "Yes."

"Just above us?"

"Yes."

"Spencer," Ashley called, "wait where you are until we move this last obstacle. The stairwell might collapse. You need to be clear."

"Go slowly," Spencer said. "We've braced the walls above you as best we can. We'll keep bracing from our side."

"Damn it, Spencer—"

"Don't waste time, Ashley. I'm not leaving you."

"Just be careful." Ashley glanced at Alex. "This may all come down on our heads when we shift this last beam out of the way."

Alex grinned. "Then I guess we'll find out which one of us can jump the farthest. Are you up for a challenge, Alpha?"

Ashley growled and peered at the specks of sky showing through the chinks in the barrier above her. She scented Spencer, felt the heartbeats of her young echo in her chest. She pressed her bruised and bleeding shoulders against the jagged steel and called upon the will and strength of her wolf. "Be careful what you ask for, Warlord. Now let me see how strong you really are."

Her breath turned to fire in her chest, her muscles stretched and tore from her bones, her consciousness narrowed until all she knew was pain and fury and the mad need to reach her mate. Metal screamed, stone cracked and shattered, and a torrent of rock rained down on them.


	21. Chapter 21

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Lauren knocked softly on the door to Alice and Carmen's room. They were physically well enough to return to the barracks, but neither seemed eager to leave the infirmary, and that worried her. It wasn't natural for any Were to choose to be separate from the rest of the Pack, but particularly not the adolescents. Very young Weres slept together in the nursery in a jumble, often four or six in a bed, many shifting involuntarily in their sleep. The presence of warm, familiar bodies and comforting scents helped dispel the sometimes disorienting effect of waking as a wolf. As they grew older and learned to control their shifts, adolescents were consumed with defining their places in the Pack hierarchy, forming intense friendships with Weres of both sexes—tussling, tangling, assessing potential mates. Carmen and Alice had both spent time in _sentrie_ training, where they'd lived, eaten, worked, and slept with their Packmates in the barracks. For them to want to stay alone now wasn't healthy.

Lauren knocked again. They would know it was her by her scent, but she wouldn't intrude without permission. They'd had too much of that in the last weeks.

Alice rumbled, "Come in."

"Have a good run?" Lauren asked. The room was lit by silvery moonlight streaming through the open window, and Alice, naked except for a pair of jeans, seemed wary and distrustful. She occupied her usual position with her back against the wall, watching the door, putting herself between Carmen and any potential threat. Carmen, in a black T-shirt and camo BDUs, lay curled up on top of her cot, her arms wrapped around the pillow and her knees drawn up to her midsection. She looked small and wounded, and Lauren's heart wept.

"John called us back before we got very far." Alice's eyes glimmered gold, her wolf prowling, restless. "Then we heard the alarm. We can fight. We're ready."

"There's no fight yet," Lauren said, considering how much to tell them. She ached to protect them, but that time had passed. "Bo has a captive—a human. We don't know very much about him, but he says that he knows you. From the lab."

Carmen gasped and Alice leapt to her feet, snarling.

"The Alpha isn't here right now, but it's possible she'll want you to see him." Lauren spoke calmly, ignoring that Alice was on the verge of shifting. Alice was volatile, barely in control, but she had to be given the chance to control herself. Alice had to know that she and her wolf were one, as they always had been, and the Pack trusted her. "I know you don't remember much about the humans who held you, and that's okay."

"Only broken memories," Carmen murmured. She sat up, her arms tightly folded around her middle, and glanced at Alice. "What does the Alpha need us to do?"

"Bo is talking to him now. If you see him, you may remember more." Lauren saw no point in saying the Alpha was missing. The Alpha would return. Any other possibility was unthinkable. "How do you feel about that?"

"We'll do whatever the Alpha needs," Alice said.

"I know you will." Lauren smiled softly. "But I want to know how you _feel_ about doing it."

"What does it matter how we feel?" Alice growled. "We're warriors. We follow the Alpha's command."

"Do you think she doesn't care how you feel? That I don't care?"

"We don't care about feelings," Carmen said flatly, sounding bitter but stronger than she had before.

"They hurt you," Lauren said to Carmen. "We know that. We all hurt for you."

"Don't," Carmen said. "We don't want you to pity us."

"Pity is not the same as love." Lauren wanted to gather them both up—to soothe them, heal them. Their shame and sorrow and guilt choked her, and they were so wrong. They were so heartbreakingly brave. But they did not need her tears. "The Alpha will decide what to do with him. And I know you will do what she asks."

"Where did she go?" Carmen asked.

The Pack had few secrets, living as they did in intense community, aware of each other's impulses and desires and needs. Lauren didn't ordinarily discuss battle plans with adolescents, but these weren't just any adolescents. These were two young wolves who were no longer young in anything except years, already seasoned in the worst kind of battle. They needed honesty and respect. "The Alpha went back to the installation where you were held. There may be other captives."

Carmen whined, an anguished cry caught in her throat. "No. The Alpha wouldn't have left anyone."

"We can't be sure. They could be hidden in some other part of the installation. Your captors found a way to prevent the Alpha from sensing you."

Alice shuddered and her eyes glazed. "I couldn't feel the Alpha—couldn't feel the Pack. The air was…wrong. Stinging, bitter."

"They poisoned you."

"I should've gone back with them tonight," Alice said. "I remember…some things. Places they took us. I might have helped."

"Do you remember a human—a big man with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes?"

Alice shook her head, pacing back and forth in front of her narrow bed. "Faces. I can't see the faces."

"You will, you're doing fine."

"I killed one. I remember his blood in my mouth." Alice looked at Lauren, questions in her tormented eyes.

"Yes, you did," Lauren said. "Any one of us would have done the same. There's no shame in that."

"I still want to kill them."

"Of course you do. So do we. All of them." Lauren cupped Alice's face. Alice went very still, but did not pull away. Lauren stroked her thumb over the sharp edge of Alice's cheekbone, brushed the hair from her eyes. "What you feel_ is _important. What you do about what you feel is what defines you. That's up to you, Alice. I trust you. We all do."

"I remember scents, touches. Pain, I remember pain, and—" Alice abruptly snarled so violently, Lauren nearly growled a warning. She wasn't dominant, but her wolf instinctively responded to the threat. Lauren calmed her wolf, waiting for Alice to settle. She'd sensed a surge of rage and, unexpectedly, excitement. Whatever Alice remembered had aroused her.

"I want to see him," Alice said, a low heavy, rumble in her voice. Her eyes shimmered gold again and her canines jutted from behind her full upper lip. Pheromones clouded the air. Alice was a mature young dominant, and Lauren was in heat.

Lauren backed up a step. "No, Alice. Not now."

Alice snarled. Her face grew sharper, her skin shimmering with sex-sheen.

"Listen to me," Lauren said gently, "I don't want you to answer my call."

"I don't care." Alice stepped closer, her pelt line flaring. She was fiercely beautiful, potent and primed. Lauren walked a fine line between continuing to stimulate her if she stayed, encouraging her by her very presence, and risking further injury to Alice's self-esteem by denying her the opportunity to restrain her wolf. She wasn't even certain Alice _could_ contain her urges, but she needed to give her the chance. Softly, she said, "You know the rules. My choice who answers my call."

Alice shuddered and panted.

Lauren suddenly heated, skin tingling as if she'd been electrified, and her body quickened. Her need surged, fed by the flood of neurostimulants set off by the Were bearing down on them. Bo was coming. Lauren sensed her from across the courtyard. Bo stormed closer, possessive and aggressive. If she burst in on them now, Alice would attack and Bo would probably kill her. Lauren reached inside herself, projected her thoughts, never questioning if she could reach Bo.

_I'm all right. Don't hurt her._

_She challenges._

_No. No, she doesn't. Bo, don't hurt her._

The door behind her banged open and Lauren spun around. Bo stood framed by the golden glow of the lights in the hall behind her. Her hair shimmered like fire and her hazel eyes glowed as hot as embers. Her chest was bare, breasts tight-nippled, her heavy pelt line bisecting her rigid abdomen. Her claws were down, her canines extruded. She dripped sex and adrenaline.

"Mine," Bo growled.

Alice's head snapped up and a rumble rose from her throat.

_Bo, wait. Please._

Behind her, Bo growled again, a tone so dangerous and so primal Lauren wanted to be under her, her teeth buried in Bo's throat, Bo buried inside her. She fought for control, fought to project calm. Her wolf howled for release, to mate.

"Alice," Lauren murmured, holding her place between the two of them. "Alice, I choose Bo."

Alice's pelt rolled beneath her skin, her jaw elongated, her eyes angled. She shimmered and started to shift.

"_Alice_," Bo snapped. "Hold your wolf. We need you here."

Lauren held her breath, watching Alice struggle to obey the Pack _imperator_.

Alice sucked in a shuddering breath and her wolf receded. Softly, she whispered, "Yes, _Imperator_."

"Next time, mind your place, whelp." Bo came up behind Lauren and wrapped an arm around Lauren's waist, pulling Lauren back against her chest. Heat poured from Bo's bare torso through Lauren's body as if they were skin to skin.

_Thank you._ Lauren arched her back, exposing her neck, and Bo grazed her throat with her canines.

_I won't be so generous again._

Lauren knew Alice was watching, knew she needed to be reminded of one of the most basic rules of the Pack—a female always chose who answered her call. Her mind assessed her patient's welfare, but her body surrendered to the overwhelming pleasure of Bo's hands on her. Her breasts tingled, her belly rolled with need, and her clitoris expanded. She rocked her hips into Bo's crotch, inviting her to take more. Try as she might, she could not resist the need roaring through her.

"Lauren is mine," Bo said to Alice, running both hands up and down Lauren's body. She pulled Lauren's shirt from the waistband of her pants and slid her hand underneath. "Remember that."

"Yes_, Imperator_." Alice backed up until her legs hit the bed, and she sat, her hands between her knees, her eyes lowered focus somewhere between them.

Lauren reached behind Bo's head and ran her fingers through Bo's hair, turning her head to bite her on the jaw. "She didn't touch me."

Bo kissed her. "If she had, she'd be bleeding on the floor under me right now."

"You claim rights you don't have."

"Then give them to me." Bo spread her hand over Lauren's lower abdomen, her claws pressing into Lauren's belly. Her teeth penetrated Lauren's shoulder as quick as lightning, and Lauren's sex readied.

She couldn't fight her wolf and her instincts and her heart all at the same time. "Yes," Lauren whispered. "Yes."

* * *

Spencer coughed the dust from her lungs, her heart pounding furiously. "Ashley!"

The rumbling of stone and screeching of shifting metal finally stopped, and she listened, willing Ashley to answer with every ounce of her being. The silence was suffocating. Even the crackling roar of the fire ravaging the surrounding forest and the cries of terrified animals had disappeared. Wiping grit from her eyes with the back of her arm, she started down what remained of the stairs.

"Wait," Dani yelled, grabbing her arm. "Let me go first."

"No." Spencer jerked her arm free. She'd waited long enough. Ashley was near and nothing would stand between them now. She jumped over a gap in the cracked and canted stairwell, landing on a narrow ledge of stone that overlooked an abyss. She peered down. "Ashley?"

Only darkness awaited her.

Despair, black and heavy, seeped through her like poison. The only thing keeping her from leaping into the yawning cavern in search of Ashley was the ever-growing presence of the young she carried. She cared nothing for herself, but for them, for Ashley's heirs and hers, she would not take the last step. A howl rose from her chest, haunted with grief and fury. Only an echo, lonely and desolate, filled her battered soul.

"I'm going down." Dani paused on the brink of the impenetrable. "If I don't return—there's something you should know. When we broke into the lab last night, the Vampire who was there before us was the Viceregal's _senechal_. Shane."

Spencer nodded. "Thank you. When you find them, call me."

"Of course."

"Hurry."

Dani disappeared and time stopped. Spencer called out again, "Ashley?"

She couldn't sense her, couldn't feel her. Every breath was a blade piercing her heart.

"Spencer," Dani called. "There's a landing fifteen feet below you."

Instantly, Spencer jumped. The blackness was absolute. Even her wolf eyes could not see what surrounded her. She extended a hand and felt rock, spikes of steel, burning wood. Her shoulder touched Dani's. "Do you feel—"

"Dani? Spencer?" a disembodied voice croaked.

"Liege!" Dani shouted and disappeared in the direction of Stef's voice.

Another crack like thunder, and clouds of stone dust rose up around Spencer's feet. Rocks rolled down what must have been the remains of a hallway.

Someone moaned. Someone close by.

"Ashley!" Spencer dropped to her knees and ran her hands over the uneven surface of the mounds of rubble. She touched warm flesh. Ashley's flesh. Spencer heaved rocks aside, felt Ashley move, and then Ashley was kneeling in front of her, warm, alive. Spencer gripped Ashley's shoulders and kissed her, desperate for the taste of her, the scent of her, the press of her flesh. Spencer's breath came in jagged rasps. Her face was wet with tears she didn't bother to hide. Ashley gripped her hair, kissed her with a hot, fast plunge of her tongue, bruising her mouth, drinking her. Spencer opened, absorbing the ferocious power of the Alpha, her mate. Her life.

"I thought…" Spencer couldn't touch her enough. Couldn't form words. All she needed was Ashley under her hands. She ran her hands over Ashley's face, down her neck, her shoulders. "I couldn't feel you. Why couldn't I—"

"Didn't I tell you to go?" Ashley muttered against Spencer's mouth, unable to stop kissing her. "Will you never listen?"

"Are you hurt?" Spencer rasped her claws down Ashley's back. Hers again. "Ashley, are you hurt?"

"Nothing serious."

"You're bleeding."

"Just cuts and scrapes. We have injured—humans."

"What? Why?"

"They have fever," Ashley said. "They're both in midtransition."

"God. What were they doing here? Where's Alex?"

"Here," Alex grunted. "My arm was broken but it's healed now. I'll get the Liege."

Spencer said, "The air down here is toxic. We need to get out of here."

Dani and Alex crowded next to them, each with a girl in her arms.

"These two are still alive," Alex said. "Do you still want to take them out?"

"Yes," Ashley said. "Where's Stef?"

"She's…injured," Dani said. "I'll go back for her."

"No," Ashley said. "Spencer, go back to the surface. Alex, Dani, take the humans up with you. Stef and I will be behind you."

"No," Alex said. "I will take my Liege. You take this human."

Ashley snarled. "You disobey my orders?"

"Warlord," Stef said in a toneless, flat voice. "Take the humans, go up first. Clear the way for all of us."

"Yes, Liege."

Spencer waited until Dani and Alex disappeared up the precipitous stairwell. "What's wrong?"

"Stef has severe UV exposure," Ashley said. "She needs blood."

"I can wait," Stef said.

"You can't even stand." Ashley gripped Spencer's shoulder. "I need to feed her, or she won't survive to get bonded blood."

"Then do it." Spencer circled her hand over the center of Ashley's back. "We don't have much time."

Ashley took Spencer's hand and they eased over portions of a collapsed wall to where Stef lay. Together they lifted Stef until she was cradled against Ashley's chest.

Spencer guided Stef's head to Ashley's neck. "Stef, you must stop before you weaken her."

Stef was beyond hearing. Her mouth was already against Ashley's neck, her teeth in Ashley's throat. Ashley gasped and reached for Spencer.

"Come here, mate," Spencer murmured, cupping Ashley's cheek. She kissed her, and Ashley groaned against her mouth. Spencer tasted her power, the heat of her, and her body stirred. She kissed her and kept kissing her until Stef pulled away with a gasp.

"Thank you," Stef said. "I am in your debt."

Ashley shuddered, her hands trembling on Spencer's shoulders.

Spencer stroked her face. "We need to go now."

"Yes," Ashley said hoarsely.

Alex called down, "The forest is burning. Hurry."

Stef disappeared into the stairwell above them.

"Spencer," Ashley said. "That was not—"

"I know." Spencer kissed her. "Let's go home."


	22. Chapter 22

**Rated M**

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

"Bo, wait," Lauren said urgently as Bo dragged her out of Alice and Carmen's room and slammed the door closed. "What's happening outside? You don't need to stay—everything is fine. I'm fi—"

"John is in charge. And you're not fine." Bo, her shoulders tight and her eyes flashing brighter than any fire, grasped Lauren's wrist and pulled her down the hall toward one of the empty rooms. "If you were fine, I wouldn't have found you with a young wolf about to jump you."

"She wasn't. I could have handled—"

Without breaking stride, Bo silenced her with a hard, ferocious kiss.

Lauren knew her legs were moving but she had no sense of her feet touching the floor. All she knew was the thick, heady force of Bo's desire flooding her—her head whirled, sound faded to nothing but the roar of her blood and the drumbeat of her heart, her sight was blind to everything but Bo's eyes, burning hotter than any flame. She braced her hands on Bo's chest and pulled free of the kiss. Instantly she wanted Bo's mouth on her again. "Bo, oh God—Bo, wait. We can't—not now."

Bo yanked her into the darkened room, shoved the door closed, and pushed Lauren against it. She caged her with an arm on either side of Lauren's shoulders, pinning her with her body. "Yes now. I'm done watching other Weres try to claim you."

Lauren struggled for reason, but Bo's mouth was on her neck, kissing her, nipping at her skin, scraping along the muscles with her teeth. Bo was hot and heavy and hard, and Lauren wrapped her arms around her neck as naturally as she lifted her face to the moonlight when she ran under the stars. Bo was the key that opened every need she'd worked so hard to lock away. "Bo, they might need you outside. I—I can wait."

"I can't…Not anymore. I need you," Bo said, her mouth on Lauren's throat. "I need you now, just for a minute."

Lauren caressed Bo's back, played her fingers over the massive muscles in her shoulders, traced the smooth slope of her waist. She spread her fingers through Bo's hair and pressed Bo's face harder to her neck. "I love the way you feel. You're so beautiful."

"Don't stop touching me," Bo growled, her teeth grazing Lauren's shoulder. She pushed Lauren's shirt up and lowered her head, sliding her mouth along the curve of Lauren's breast, sucking, teasing, tormenting.

"I want your skin," Lauren gasped, hooking her fingers in the waistband of Bo's jeans and tearing them open. She shoved the pants down over the curve of Bo's muscular ass, scoring her with her claws, so ready for her she could only whimper. "Bo. I need you."

Bo panted, wanting her like she wanted prey on a hunt—with a single-minded ferocity that blinded her to everything else. She'd waited so long, wanted so madly, she was afraid she would lose herself, take her too hard, too fast. Hurt her. Breath burned in her lungs, her stomach knotted. Another second and she'd mount her and take her, and she wanted so much more. She went to her knees and forced herself to go slowly. Bo pressed her cheek to Lauren's abdomen and rubbed her face over the soft dusting of white pelt low on her belly. "I'll hurt you."

"You won't." Lauren dug her fingers into Bo's broad shoulders. "I'm a Were. I'm not fragile."

"You make me wild," Bo muttered.

"Good."

Bo opened Lauren's pants, guided them down her long sleek thighs, kissed the quivering muscles she exposed. She ran her palms up and down Lauren's legs, careful not to press too hard, careful not to draw blood. Yet. If she bit her, tasted her, her wolf would rule, and she wouldn't stop until she'd come inside her.

"I _want_ you inside me," Lauren gasped.

Lauren raked her claws over Bo's shoulders, and the lightning strokes of pain set Bo ablaze. Her clitoris stiffened, beating rapidly in time with her furious heart. Bo groaned when Lauren's fingers came into her hair, pressing her face lower. A cloud of pheromones and sex engulfed her. She was blind with the beauty of her, wild with the scent of her. She was so ready to be inside her she could think of nothing else. Bo pressed her lips to Lauren's belly, ran her mouth over the silky skin, dragged her teeth down to the junction of her thighs.

Lauren cradled Bo's neck. "Please, oh please. Now."

Lauren's gasps of pleasure, her small cries of need, drew a possessive snarl from Bo's throat. "Mine."

"Yes, yes." Lauren lifted her hips to Bo's mouth. "Taste me."

Bo's wolf surged and Bo strained to hold her back. She stroked the insides of Lauren's thighs and pressed her legs open, following the path of her fingers with her mouth. She licked lightly, teasingly, until Lauren jerked her head forward with a low warning growl.

"Now, Wolf. Now."

Claws pierced Bo's neck, another shock of bright, shining pain shot through her, and Bo shuddered on the edge of exploding. She closed her mouth around Lauren, taking her full, firm clitoris between her lips, sucking her deep. Lauren's legs quivered as she tasted her.

"Bo, Bo, take me. Please, please."

Bo held Lauren in her mouth, licking, sucking, teasing until she felt Lauren swell, felt the deep glands tense, and knew she was ready. She surged to her feet, pushed her hips tight between Lauren's thighs, and pulled Lauren's legs up around her hips. Holding Lauren against the door with her body, she pressed her tense clitoris beneath Lauren's, joining them.

Lauren's head fell back against the door. "Oh yes. Yes. I love you over me, inside me."

Bo pushed deeper, and Lauren closed around her. The pressure was unbearable, agonizingly sweet—shatteringly perfect. Bo's ass tightened and she thrust, forcing Lauren to coat her in pheromones and sex. Lauren's wolf was hungry to mate, and Bo wanted her.

"Bite me," Bo growled in Lauren's ear. "Do it. I want your teeth in me when I come."

Lauren quivered, her body, her mind unleashed, but no matter how badly she needed, she would not risk Bo. Panting, sobbing, wild with hunger, she clung to reason. She'd always managed to avoid the final union, but she'd never wanted it so fiercely. Sliding her hands down Bo's sweat-slick back, she cupped her ass, burying her claws in the hard, tight muscles. Tightening her legs around Bo's hips, she rode her harder, faster, mercilessly.

Roaring, Bo jerked and her clitoris tensed.

"Now, Bo." Lauren dragged Bo's mouth to her shoulder. "Taste me."

Bo was lost. She buried her canines in Lauren's shoulder and thrust wildly, releasing a flood of victus over Lauren's sex.

"_Yes_," Lauren cried, releasing violently, devastatingly. But she held on, held back. She did not, would not, bite.

Bo buried her face in Lauren's neck and emptied helplessly, over and over. Her legs gave way and she crumpled. Lauren cushioned her slide to the floor and held Bo's damp face to her breast.

"Say it," Bo gasped. "Please, say it."

Lauren closed her eyes and rubbed her tear-streaked cheek over Bo's hair. "I'm yours, Bo." _In every way I can be._

* * *

When Ashley scrambled out of the hole in the side of the mountain behind Spencer, she found Dani waiting for them with one of the girls in her arms and the other on the ground at Stef's feet. Ashley got a good look at the two Vampires for the first time since the explosion. They were both more badly injured than she'd realized—their clothing smoldering, their flesh blistering, huge areas blackened and charred. She'd never seen a Vampire walk into the sun, but she thought these two might have come close to that final immolation. She had to get her mate and her friends out of this death trap. She lifted the unconscious girl into her arms. "Where's Alex?"

"She went to get our vehicle," Dani said. "The limos are designed to resist fire."

Around them, the forest burned, flames leaping from treetop to treetop, huge pines exploding like matchsticks, the sky swallowed by black clouds of smoke. Even the wind had been silenced by the roar of the fire.

"She'll have to run through flame to find it," Ashley said.

"She said her wolf can outrun it," Dani said.

Ashley glanced at Spencer. The conflagration was closing in on them. She couldn't risk her mate and her young, and she doubted she could get Spencer to leave without her. _Shall we wait? The fire is close and we might have to carry Stef._

_Give Alex five minutes. The Vampires will be safer inside the car._

"All right," Ashley said. "We'll wait."

Stef turned to Ashley. "You and Spencer should shift and get out before that road disappears. Dani and I will stay here with the humans."

"We're not splitting up," Ashley said. "Alex is strong and fast."

"There's no reason we should all die," Stef said.

"No," Ashley said, "there isn't. And we won't." She pointed. "Look."

A hazy light shone through the torrent of burning embers, growing brighter with every second. A vehicle burst into the clearing and skidded to a stop. The doors flew open, and Ashley pushed Spencer toward the rear compartment. "Hurry. Everyone inside."

As the doors slammed shut, Ashley called to Alex behind the wheel. "Can you get us out?"

"Yes," Alex said calmly. "Everyone hang on."

Spencer knelt on the floor next to the two humans and checked their vital signs. "Is there anything to cover them with? They're both in shock."

"There's a pull-out compartment under the seat," Stef said. "We have a few medical supplies."

"IV fluid?" Spencer asked hopefully, bracing a hand against the door as the vehicle jounced and careened over rocks and other obstacles.

Stef grinned thinly. "Synthetic blood."

"It will do." Spencer sorted through the supplies and found intravenous needles and plastic bags of fluid. She managed to get lines into both the girls, despite their dehydrated state, and connected the bags to delivery tubes. That was all she could do for them now.

"Come here." Ashley pulled Spencer onto the seat and sheltered her against her side. "Are you all right? You should have left when I—"

Spencer kissed her. "I'm fine. You're the one who's injured."

Ashley grumbled. "You shouldn't take risks. I told—"

"I love you," Spencer whispered. "Now shut up."

Ashley's lip curled, but she rested her forehead against Spencer's and contented herself with holding her.

Alex said, "We're approaching the junction with the main road. Where do you want me to go?"

"Head to Stef's town house," Ashley said. "As soon as we can get a cell signal, we'll call the Compound and have them send a vehicle to intercept us. You need to get Stef home."

"Yes, Alpha," Alex said, flooring the accelerator as burning trees crashed around them. Branches and bushes like flaming torches scraped and slapped at the car, but she maneuvered through the last obstacles and bounced out onto a paved surface. She followed the road around the perimeter of the burning complex and up into the mountains.

Ashley caught sight of flickering lights in the sky. "Helicopters. Probably news and police."

"We can't afford to be detained—not with these girls in the car," Spencer said. "If they're infected, we don't want them in a human hospital."

"We don't want to be associated with this sabotage either," Stef said.

"They'll block these roads before long," Ashley said.

"Call Lena," Stef said. "She has an emergency scanner. She'll be able to track which highways are open."

"Give me the car phone," Ashley said, reaching into the front seat. "And activate the vehicle's GPS."

Alex handed the phone to Ashley, and Ashley punched in Lena's number.

"Yes?" Lena answered instantly.

"Lena," Ashley said. "Stef's with me. We're in the middle of a forest fire, and we need to get out of here quickly before the police close the roads."

"Give me your location."

Ashley checked the GPS reading on the dashboard and told her.

"One minute. Is Stef all right?"

"She's injured. She'll need bonded blood as soon as she arrives home."

Stef snarled and tried to grab the phone.

"She's not happy I told you that," Ashley said.

"No, I imagine she isn't," Lena said, her voice steady but crackling with urgency. "Thank you."

"None needed."

"If you take 22 through the mountains south, you'll be clear."

"Dani and Alex will see she gets home soon."

"Tell them to be careful."

Ashley disconnected, ignoring the look of cold fury on Stef's sheet-white face, and called the Compound. John answered. "Is everything secure?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Good. Have Tamsin fix on our vehicle and meet us with the Rover en route. We have injured."

"Yes, Alpha."

Stef snarled, "You forget yourself, Wolf."

Ashley tossed the phone into the front seat and shrugged. "You told me that's what you needed. She has a right to know."

"She doesn't have to worry—"

"She has that right too."

Stef's eyes ignited.

"Enough," Spencer muttered. "The both of you."

Ashley grinned, glad to see Stef's fire returning. "If you were a little quicker and managed to stay out of trouble, Vampire, I wouldn't have to interfere."

"I should have drained you."

Ashley leaned back and pulled Spencer closer. Her back and shoulders were torn and bleeding, her legs and abdomen bruised from the rockfall, but she was alive, and Spencer was next to her. The life force of her young beat through her blood, steady and strong. Her allies—her friends—had survived.

She glanced at the emaciated, feverish young girls stretched out on the floor of the car and frowned. She felt them, the way she felt her wolves, but they were not Weres. They weren't human anymore either. Until she knew what they were, they were hers.

Spencer circled her palm over Ashley's abdomen, her claws lightly scoring her skin. She kissed Ashley's neck. "I love you."

Ashley kissed her. "I love you too."

"You need healing when we return."

"That's not what I need."

Spencer smiled and kissed the shadow of the mate bite on Ashley's chest. "I know. That too."


	23. Chapter 23

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Bo rolled over and propped her back against the door, pulling Lauren against her side. They were still on the floor, and when Lauren made a soft rumbling sound in the back of her throat and draped herself over Bo's torso, Bo wanted to take her again. Lauren's skin was damp with a coating of the blended pheromones that enveloped them both. She smelled rich and powerful, like a hidden glade deep in the forest filled with ancient trees and untouched earth. Bo wanted to roll with her in soft fragrant leaves beneath towering pines and mate in the hot summer sun. She kissed her, stroked her bare shoulder and down her arm. She feared if she left her, Lauren would disappear. "I need to check with John on the status of our defenses."

"I know. You also need to see Alice," Lauren said, circling her fingertips over Bo's chest. "She needs guidance right now, from someone like you."

"Like me?"

Lauren kissed her neck, scraped her teeth along the thick muscle that ran down to Bo's shoulder. "Someone she looks up to. A dominant, aggressive wolf—like she will be one day very soon."

"There are plenty of those around."

"But none who just put her down for encroaching on their territory." Lauren smiled and rubbed her cheek on Bo's breast. "She needs to understand that what she was doing—what she was feeling—wasn't wrong. They're confused, both of them, by what was done to them and how they responded. Heightened emotions—anger, fear, pain—often produce a sexual response. You and I know it, but the young have a hard time sorting it all out. Let her know she's not the only one who's felt that way."

"I'm not a very good example," Bo said bitterly. "You forget I was very nearly blood addicted."

"What I remember," Lauren said, running her tongue over Bo's lower lip and nipping her hard enough to make Bo wince, "is that you saved an ally's life. You risked your own to save Stef's. I have nothing but respect for you."

"You're not—" Bo broke off, embarrassed by her weakness, not only her weakness for the euphoria of a Vampire's bite, but her need to know she wasn't just any Were in Lauren's bed.

"Threatened by your hunger?" Lauren said softly. "Jealous of what a Vampire can give you?"

"No! That's not what I meant." Bo tightened her hold on Lauren. She was being foolish for expecting, for hoping, Lauren would feel things she'd already made very clear she wasn't interested in feeling. Lauren didn't want a mate. What she wanted was what Bo had just given her, relief from her heat, sexual release. "Never mind."

Lauren gripped Bo's shoulders and straddled her, her thighs clasping Bo's hips. Her breasts nearly brushed Bo's mouth and Bo snarled.

Smiling, Lauren leaned down and kissed her. "To answer your question, _Imperator_, yes, it bothers me that you might find more satisfaction than I can give you with someone else."

"I don't. I never have," Bo said, rubbing her cheek over Lauren's breast. "What I find with the Vampires is oblivion, and that's not what I want with you." She stroked Lauren's back, loving the softness of her skin and the strength in her lithe muscles. Pulling Lauren close, she kissed her, sliding her tongue deep into her mouth, letting Lauren taste the surge of hormones in her mouth, smell them on her skin. "I want the sweetness of you everywhere inside me."

Moaning softly, Lauren rubbed her breasts over Bo's and entwined their legs. The hot wetness between her legs coated Bo's thigh. "We can't. You need to go."

"I still want you again."

Lauren pushed away, her hands shaking. "Good. You can have me again, when you're sure we're all secure. Go now. Before I don't let you."

Bo rose, lifting Lauren in her arms. She held her tight to her chest and kissed her until Lauren moaned and writhed in her arms. The sound filled Bo with power even as her heart trembled. "Don't forget me."

"I won't," Lauren breathed unevenly. "I can't."

Bo carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. She stroked her fingertips over Lauren's breast and traced a line up to the bite marks she'd made in Lauren's shoulder. She didn't carry a matching mark. She'd never wanted another Were to mark her, to claim her, but she wanted it now. "I'll be back soon."

Lauren caught her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Be careful."

Bo turned abruptly and strode out before she wasn't able to go, duty or not. Lauren hadn't bitten her. Lauren didn't want a mate, and she wouldn't bite. Bo had always been the one to avoid the possibility of a mate bite, but when Lauren refused her, she ached. She wanted her. Wanted her for her own, completely. But Lauren had been clear, and she would honor Lauren's desires. What she had was already far more than she ever thought she would.

She passed Chelsea and her mate, Hale, carrying supplies into one of the treatment rooms.

"Lauren?" Chelsea said, concern darkening her elegant features.

"Down the hall. She's fine."

"And the Alpha?"

Bo ground her teeth. "She's been delayed."

Chelsea's eyes widened, and Bo slowed to touch her cheek. "Don't worry. Spencer is with her. You know how careful she'll be with the Prima with her."

"It's good the Alpha has her," Chelsea said, her eyes on her mate. "Good for all of us."

"Yes," Bo said, meaning it without reservation. She'd always known Ashley would mate, but the eventuality had always seemed far off in the future, something that would not alter their intimate bond. And then Ashley had chosen a turned Were, a _mutia_, someone far beneath her and hardly worthy to be Pack, let alone Prima. But Bo had been wrong about Spencer—Spencer was everything Ashley needed in a mate and every bit as much a Were as a _regii_. "Very good for us."

When Bo reached Alice and Carmen's room she rapped sharply and stepped inside. Carmen was on her bed as she had been before, curled up with her eyes open, unblinking, endlessly sad.

"Where's Alice?"

"She shifted," Carmen said bleakly. "Gone. Out the window."

Bo cursed. They'd had no sign of attack teams anywhere near their territory, but the King High holdings were vast, and small strike forces could easily cross their borders and approach the Compound without being detected. If Alice was running alone, she was vulnerable.

"Stay here," Bo leapt from the room and vaulted down the hall. John stood in the center of the Compound, conferring with one of his lieutenants.

"Where's Tamsin?" Bo called.

John looked over. "She went to get the Alpha."

Bo's breath exploded in relief. The Alpha was returning. She was all right. "Did you see Alice?"

John shook his head.

"Is everything quiet?"

"Yes. I've doubled the border patrols and we have spotters on the barricades. Everything is secure."

"Good." Bo crossed to the barracks where the _sentries_ and the trainees bunked. She knocked on Kyla's partially open door. The young brunette jumped to attention.

"_Imperator!_"

"I need you."

Kyla straightened even more. "Yes, _Imperator_."

"Alice is running alone. Do you know where she usually hunts?"

"Yes, _Imperator_."

"She hasn't been gone long—probably hasn't gone far. I need you to find her and bring her back." Bo saw the barest hint of hesitation in Kyla's eyes. "She trusts you."

"I'm not sure she trusts anyone anymore."

"All the more reason to bring her home. I need you both to be careful. There may be enemies in the woods. If her wolf is in control, don't fight her. Leave her."

"She's my friend."

"I know." Kyla and Alice were very nearly equal in their level of dominance, but Kyla was the more mature. Levelheaded, in control of her wolf. Bo was asking a lot of her, but she thought Alice would respond better to her than one of the older wolves. "I don't want either of you injured."

"I understand."

"Report to me when you return." Bo turned for the door. She wanted to see the Alpha. She needed to know Ashley was all right. And she couldn't tolerate being so far from Lauren. Her wolf paced, agitated and angry. She ignored the clawing need in her belly. She had duties.

"_Imperator?_"

Bo glanced back over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Thank you for trusting me to bring her back."

"You probably won't thank me when you find her. Go now."

Kyla shimmered, and a sturdy gray and white wolf bounded onto the bed and out the open window.

Bo found John at headquarters, conferring by sat phone with one of his soldiers. She waited until he'd finished and asked, "Why didn't you come and get me when the Alpha called?"

"She requested a vehicle—the call was brief. There wasn't time for anything else."

"Where are they?"

"Just crossing into New York. Tamsin should intercept them at any moment. They'll be back here soon."

"What's the status of the injured?"

John shook his head. "I don't know. The Alpha didn't tell us anything else."

"All right. Keep up the surveillance and the extra soldiers on patrol. I'll be with the prisoner."

* * *

Lauren started at the knock on the door. She didn't feel Bo. She felt her absence—a longing deep inside, a restless, anxious need to be close to her. She drew a breath and all she could scent was Bo, covering her, filling her.

"Who is it?"

"Chelsea."

Sighing, Lauren sat up on the side of the bed and reached for her pants. She wasn't embarrassed by her nudity, no wolf ever was, but she needed distance, and even this false shield helped bolster her courage. She stepped into her khaki cargo pants. "Come in."

Chelsea entered, flipped the switch that lit a muted bulb in the ceiling, and leaned back against the closed door. "Are you all right?"

Lauren laughed shortly. "I think so. Yes." She raised her eyes to Chelsea's, found sympathy and understanding. "Wonderful. Frightened."

"She wants you, you know that."

Lauren spun around and walked to the window, searching above the treetops for the moon. The luminous warmth always calmed her, but not tonight. Her blood was still raging for Bo. "I know."

"And you want her."

Lauren pressed her forehead to the rough wood frame and closed her eyes. She couldn't lie to Chelsea. She could barely lie to herself anymore. How would she face Bo and keep the truth from her? "Yes, I want her."

"You don't have to suffer like this."

Fury displaced the despair and Lauren spun around. "How can you of all people say that. You know—"

"I _don't_ know. I know what the tests showed years ago. Years ago. When you were an adolescent. But you're not any longer. When is the last time you let your parents study you?"

"So I can see their sadness and disappointment again?" Lauren shook her head. "Not for years."

"I know how terrible it is for you, how frightening—"

"You can't know. You can't know what it feels like to never totally belong. To fear what you feel and what you want."

Chelsea crossed the room in one graceful leap and pulled Lauren into her arms. "I do know. I do." She stroked her hair. "But you can't be sure. You deserve to know, and Bo deserves the truth."

"She'll hate me."

"No," Chelsea murmured, kissing Lauren's temple. "She loves you."

Lauren shuddered and clung to Chelsea. "She won't, not if she knows. You know how she feels. You know how proud she is."

"You need to trust her."

Lauren tilted her head back and searched Chelsea's face. "Trust? Trust she won't break my heart? Or worse?"

"She would never do that."

"I would never force her to make that choice." Lauren wrenched herself from the comfort of Chelsea's embrace. Comfort and sympathy only made her weak. "There's work to do. I'll help you get ready in case we have casualties."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Lauren wrapped her arms around herself. "I should stay away from her. But I don't know if I can."

* * *

Lena heard the security door in the main chamber beneath Stef's town house open and close. She took a breath and, steeling herself to be calm, crossed their bedroom and opened the door into the common area. Her heart thudded madly, and when she saw Stef, she choked back a cry. Stef and Dani were covered with burns, horrible charred patches of skin oozing blood and sluggish, sickly fluid. She'd never seen Stef stumble, but she could barely walk now.

Keeping her head up, her voice steady, Lena walked to meet them and slid her arm around Stef's waist. "I told you not to get shot. I obviously need to be more inclusive next time." She glanced at Dani. "What do you need?"

"Just to feed," Dani said, her voice rusty and weak.

"Roberts has arranged for hosts. Thank you for bringing Stef home."

"I'm honored," Dani said, disappearing through a door leading to the inner rooms.

Lena turned to Alex, who looked clear-eyed and healthy. Her skin glowed a deep bronze and her hair shone brilliantly. She'd never looked stronger or more beautiful. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Alex said.

"It's not long till dawn. You'll need to feed."

Alex shuddered. Her eyes ignited. "Yes."

Lena glanced at Roberts, not certain if Alex could be trusted with one of Stef's blood hosts. Alex seemed in control of her hunger, but she was still a newly turned Vampire.

"I'll feed you," Roberts said.

Alex snarled. "You're human. I prefer Weres."

"I am a blood servant," Roberts said archly, "not some rabble you picked up in a blood club. Whatever you need, I can provide."

"Then you'll have to do."

Wordlessly, Roberts opened the door to the hall and Alex followed, leaving Lena and Stef alone.

"Come with me, darling," Lena said, leading her toward their bedroom. "Let me take care of you."

"Lena," Stef said hoarsely, holding back. "You can't be alone with me now. We need—"

Lena's frayed temper snapped. "Don't you dare tell me what _we_ need. I know what you need. _I'm_ going to feed you. _I'm_ going to give you whatever you need. Don't argue."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not." Lena led her to the bed and helped her to lie down. She undressed herself, undressed Stef, fighting back tears at the devastation of her lover's beautiful body. She slid under the silken sheets and wrapped her arms around Stef, drawing their bodies together, guiding Stef's mouth to her throat. "You never need to be sorry for needing me."

Stef gave a desperate snarl and struck swiftly, sharply. Lena arched, gasping at the rush of heat that surged through her. She cried out, climaxing instantly. Shivering as the orgasm flowed through her, building again immediately, cresting again, the cycle repeating over and over as she fisted her hand in Stef's hair.

She lost herself in pleasure and only slowly returned to awareness. When she opened her eyes, Stef was leaning over her, worry etched in her striking face. Lena traced the arch of her cheekbones, the line of her jaw. Her skin was flawless, her eyes clear. Lena smiled lazily. "Are you better?"

"Yes." Stef kissed her. "Are you all right? I took more than I should have."

"You took what you needed." Lena stretched, contentment making her muscles soft and her mind just a little bit mushy. "I feel wonderful."

Stef's frown deepened. "You should feel weak, dizzy. A headache?"

Lena shook her head. "No. None of those things." She pulled Stef down beside her. "I want you to tell me everything that happened tonight, but first, I need you again. While I'm not consumed with bloodlust, when you can come with me. Make me come again."

Stef cupped her breast, grazed her mouth over Lena's flesh, raising goose bumps of pleasure. "I want you."

Lena arched over her and slid her hand between Stef's thighs. Stef was wet and hard for her. "Anytime, Vampire of mine. Anytime."

* * *

"A vehicle approaches," one of the soldiers on the stockade called down.

"The Rover?" Bo asked, bounding the steps from headquarters. The prisoner had refused to speak to anyone but the Alpha, and she feared if she stayed with him much longer, she might tear his throat out. Every time she looked at him she saw Alice's wild eyes and Carmen's sad ones.

"No, it's civilian. A limousine."

Bo looked at John, who'd come out behind her. "Were you notified?"

"No. It may be a trap."

"Keep the gates closed," Bo shouted to the soldier on the fence. She held out a hand to John. "Give me your weapon and alert the _sentries_."

She shouldered the assault rifle and leapt up onto the rampart at the top of the twelve-foot barricade. Headlights cut through the trees less than a hundred yards away. She dropped down into the brush and raced to intercept the vehicle as it emerged from the forest. When the limousine slowed, she leapt into the road and aimed her rifle at the driver. The sleek black car slammed to a halt a foot from her. Armed Were _sentries_ converged on either side. A pale, indistinguishable face peered out through the smoked glass windshield.

"Turn off the engine and step out of the vehicle."

The window rolled down and a male called out, "We seek audience with the Alpha."

"Step out of the vehicle," Bo called, "or we will open fire."

Nothing happened for a second, and she signaled to the _sentries_ to prepare to fire. Then both back doors opened. Madison and Shane stepped out.

"I'm so sorry we arrived unannounced." Madison smiled, and Bo quivered under the crush of her thrall. "But I think the Alpha will want to hear what I have to say."


	24. Chapter 24

**Rated M**

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

The stockade gates parted, and Tamsin drove the Rover into the center of the Compound, veering around a stretch limo parked in front of headquarters.

Ashley turned to Spencer. "It appears we have visitors."

"Tonight of all nights," Spencer grumbled, "I trust no one."

"We can trust Bo and John—they would not have allowed anyone to enter if there was the slightest possibility of a threat."

"Still, I don't like it."

"Will you be all right with them?" Ashley gestured to the two unconscious humans.

"Yes. I'll get them settled in the infirmary, but we may not be able to take care of them here long-term."

"If they survive, we may not have any choice."

Spencer touched the nearest girl's forehead. "They're consumed with fever."

"And if they turn, even if they carry only some Were traits, we have to protect them."

"Is everyone yours to protect?" Spencer shot back. "No matter the cost to you, the risk? Wasn't tonight enough to prove you're in danger?"

"I'm fine," Ashley said softly, stroking Spencer's cheek.

Spencer grabbed her hand, kissed her palm. "You're _not_ fine. You're torn and bleeding, and the blood you didn't lose in the blast you gave to Stef."

"She needed it—and I heal quickly." Ashley kissed her. Spencer was agitated and wary, her wolf driven to protect her mate even more now that she was carrying their young. "Go take care of the injured. I'll probably be at headquarters for a while."

Spencer frowned. "I should be with you."

"You always are. But right now, these two need you more."

"Chelsea can monitor them after we stabilize them. I'll be over as soon as I can." Spencer gripped Ashley's neck. "You need attention too. Those burns are serious, and they'll heal faster if I clean them up."

"I'll see to them as soon as I can." Ashley bounded from the Rover and vaulted onto the porch. Kenzi and Vex, standing post by the door, jumped to attention and followed as she strode inside and up the heavy rough-hewn log stairs. Bo stood guard outside her office. "What's happening?"

Bo took in her appearance. "You're wounded."

"It's nothing," Ashley snarled. She was battered and bruised, and still hyped physically from the explosion and her worry about Spencer, Stef, and the injured girls. What she really wanted was to drag Spencer off to some private corner and bury herself in her. But before she could do that, she needed answers. Who had alerted them that the installation was being abandoned—and were they hoping the prisoners inside would be rescued, or was their plan to trap the rescue party in the explosion? Who was behind the experiments on these human girls, and what was their intention? Why wasn't Alex susceptible to the same radiation damage Stef and Dani had suffered in the explosion, and why had she been able to sense the injured girls through the silver barrier when Ashley couldn't? "What do you have to report?"

Bo grasped the door handle before Ashley could push through into her office. "You may not want to go in there covered in blood."

Ashley raised a brow.

"The Viceregal and her _senechal_ have paid us a visit."

"Really?" Ashley considered that. Madison rarely held any meetings outside of her own territory. Part of her power was in making others come to her. An impromptu visit in the middle of the night was completely unlike her. "Did she bring soldiers?"

"Only Shane and her driver."

"Search for other vehicles. She wouldn't allow herself to be vulnerable."

"We have teams out looking."

"Good." Ashley rolled her shoulders. The wounds were already healing but wouldn't heal completely until she shifted. Even then, they'd heal better if they were cleansed of silver-contaminated debris first. She had time for neither. "Get me a shirt."

"Yes, Alpha." Bo paused. "It's good to see you back, Alpha."

Ashley snaked an arm around Bo's neck and pulled her close. She rubbed her cheek on Bo's hair. "It's good to be back. And it's good to have you by my side."

Bo nuzzled Ashley's neck. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"That's because this is where you belong. My shirt?"

Bo broke free, loped down the hall, and pulled a plain black long-sleeved shirt from the closet. Returning, she handed it to Ashley.

"Thanks." Ashley shrugged on the shirt, ignoring the burning pain in her back and arms. She shoved the shirttail into her dusty, tattered pants. "This is as formal as I get in my own den."

"They're Vampires," Bo said dismissively. "They deserve nothing from you."

Ashley grinned. "Leave Kenzi and Vex here. Check on the wounded I brought in—and make sure Chelsea and Lauren are all right."

Bo tensed, a vicious growl erupting from between her bared teeth. "Why wouldn't they be all right?"

"They should be fine—but the captives are…sick. It looks like Were fever."

"And you brought them here? To Lauren?" Bo roared.

Ashley scanned Bo's chest. She didn't see a mate bite, but Bo was acting mated. Mated Weres had no sense of their own safety and would challenge even her when they thought their mates threatened. She decided to let Bo's insubordination pass. "Just follow orders, _Imperator_."

Still growling, Bo vaulted over the railing to the floor below. A few seconds later, the front doors crashed open and slammed closed.

Turning, Ashley pushed open the tall carved wooden doors and stalked inside. Madison, dressed formally in tapered black silk pants and a matching fitted jacket buttoned over her obviously bare breasts, sat in a wide brown leather library chair in front of Ashley's desk. Shane, looking like a black flame in tight black leather pants and shirt, stood by her right side. Dyson, bare chested in threadbare jeans, lounged casually against the fireplace opposite Shane, his alert gaze fixed on Madison's enforcer.

"Madison," Ashley said, crossing to stand in front of her desk. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

Madison rose and kissed Ashley on the mouth. "Any time I see you is a pleasure, Alpha."

Ashley edged a hip onto the front of her desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I think, darling," Madison said, gliding closer and running her fingers lightly down Ashley's chest, "it's what I can do for you."

From behind them, Spencer said, "You'll want to stop touching her, Viceregal. I'm not feeling in a generous mood."

Madison glanced over her shoulder, her full red lips tilting upward in what appeared to be real pleasure. "Hello, Prima. You must be used to having others admire Ashley by now."

"Admire, yes." Spencer crossed to Ashley's side and wrapped her arm around Ashley's waist. "Touching, I'm afraid not."

"How could I forget how territorial you Weres can be." Madison's tone was lightly teasing, but her eyes smoldered.

"It's been a long night," Ashley said, "and I'm sure with dawn not that far away you'll want to be leaving soon."

Madison laughed. "Subtlety never was your greatest skill, Ashley darling." She settled back into the leather chair and crossed her legs. Her jacket was cut low, and she indolently traced her fingertips along the inner curve of her right breast. Her nipples tightened beneath the silk, and Spencer rumbled a warning.

"I'm certain you don't intend to be disrespectful to my mate, particularly not in her own territory." Ashley clasped the back of Spencer's neck, running her thumb up and down the tight muscles in her neck. Spencer was furious, her wolf snapping and growling, eager to fight. Generally Spencer was the calmer of the two, no less aggressive, no less territorial, but a diplomat by nature whereas Ashley was a warrior. Right now, though, her mate didn't want to talk, she wanted to fight.

"I think your mate will appreciate my visit, darling." Madison lowered her lashes as she smiled seductively at Spencer. "Last night, I was invited to participate in an assault on your Pack."

* * *

_Don't fight. Don't fight._

Nose to the ground, Kyla pounded through the woods, bounding over logs, swerving along nearly invisible trails that snaked between brush and trees, following Alice's scent. The _imperator _had ordered her not to fight, but she hadn't told her wolf not to tussle. She and Alice had grown up together, had hunted together, and tussled more than once. They hadn't tangled—they were so close in dominance they usually picked other Packmates, even though Kyla had been with other Weres more dominant than her. They'd just fallen into the role of friends and sometimes rivals. Alice was close now, crashing through the undergrowth, not even bothering with stealth. She wasn't hunting—she was fleeing. Kyla wasn't going to let her run away.

Kyla picked up her speed, and when Alice shot into the clearing where the two trails met, Kyla hit Alice broadside, clamping her jaws on Alice's ruff when she struck. They tumbled over and over, a tangle of legs and snapping jaws and slashing claws. Fire streaked down Kyla's hip where Alice's claws caught her. She growled and grabbed Alice's ear in her jaws. Alice howled in indignation and pain and, rearing back, flipped Kyla onto her back. Alice was fast, and furious, and pinned Kyla with her heavy weight bearing down on her. Kyla was vulnerable, her belly exposed and her throat bared to Alice's snapping jaws. Her adrenaline surged—Alice might kill her if she totally lost control. Kyla gathered her hind legs and thrust against Alice's belly, raking through her fur and slashing skin. Alice arched to avoid the deadly claws, and Kyla dislodged her. Alice landed on her back, and Kyla immediately mounted her. Alice was strong and angry. Kyla felt her pain and confusion, but she didn't let up, she didn't relent. She circled and charged, snapped and bit, until they were both torn and bloody and exhausted.

_Enough?_

_Enough_, Alice panted.

Kyla collapsed and shifted back to skin. She rolled onto her side and looked into Alice's dark eyes. "Where were you going?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you so angry?" Kyla edged closer until their bodies nearly touched and their faces were only an inch apart. She draped her arm over Alice's shoulders, and Alice tensed. Alice wouldn't have mistrusted Kyla's touch, not before. Carefully, Kyla stroked the hard muscles in Alice's back and traced the ridges in her spine down to the curve of her ass. Alice whined softly in her throat, her hips rocking forward, and Kyla's fingertips dampened with Alice's pheromones.

"I don't want you to go anywhere," Kyla whispered, her mouth grazing Alice's.

Alice's eyes caught fire and her canines pressed down beneath her lip. She clasped Kyla's hip, her claws scraping lightly. "I was just running. I—I made the _imperator_ angry."

"She sent me to bring you home. She wants you to come home—we all do."

Alice nipped at her neck. "I don't want to go anywhere right now."

Kyla's heart thudded and her sex tightened. Belly jumping, she clasped Alice's ass and kissed her. Alice growled, a low, ominous, exciting sound in her chest that made Kyla's nipples ache. She rubbed her breasts over Alice's and tugged Alice's leg until Alice's thigh came over her hip. Alice was wet, her clitoris hard and swollen against her leg. She nipped Alice's lip and slid her tongue over Alice's. She wanted to roll over onto her and come. She wanted to rub her clitoris over Alice's until they both released.

Alice's claws dug into her hip and Alice's growl turned into a snarl. Alice pushed away. "I can't."

Kyla stared, panting, breathless. "Why not?"

"I can't." Alice jumped to her feet. "Leave me alone."

Kyla rose and faced her. "No."

Alice shoved her. "It's easy for you."

"What is?"

"Tangling." Alice swept her hand toward the ground where they had just been. "You feel the call, you do it. I can't."

"Why not?" Kyla repeated.

"Because I want…something else."

"Someone less dominant?" Kyla shrugged. "I know that—me too. Most times. But I felt you. You're ready. So am I." Alice was still coated with sex-sheen. Her clitoris was swollen, her naked body trembling. "So why not?"

"I want to hurt," Alice whispered.

Kyla didn't think Alice was just talking about physical pain. "You need to be hurt?"

"Yes," Alice said, her voice tortured and her eyes desolate.

"We're Weres," Kyla said calmly. "We're warriors. Pain is part of our life. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"You don't know what you're talking—"

Kyla tackled her and dragged her to the ground. Caught off guard, Alice's inaction gave Kyla a momentary advantage, enough for her to flip Alice onto her belly and mount her back. She snaked one arm under Alice's throat and the other under her hips. She pressed her clitoris against the cleft of Alice's ass and nipped her earlobe. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time."

Alice thrashed, and Kyla tightened her hold around her neck. She worked her fingers between Alice's thighs and around her clitoris. Alice's hips bucked and she gasped.

"You better not come yet." Kyla rubbed her clitoris over Alice's ass and stroked Alice hard, tugging and squeezing.

"More," Alice groaned, clutching Kyla's wrist as Kyla stroked her. Her claws dug into Kyla's skin. "Harder."

Kyla felt herself getting ready to release and tried to wait, but Alice felt so good, smelled so good, she couldn't hold back. She buried her face in Alice's neck, and when her clitoris contracted and her glands exploded, she bit her just hard enough to break the skin. She came, her fingers tightening on Alice's clitoris, twisting as Alice thrashed. She heard a howl, felt Alice come on her hand, and held on. Held on. She wasn't letting Alice leave.


	25. Chapter 25

___Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing about this story... the writing is all L.L. Raand's and the Characters are from various televsion shows (South of Nowhere, The O.C., Orange is the New Black, Lost Girl, The Fosters, and The L Word) Credit goes completely to all listed above._

* * *

Lauren placed the cap on the tube of blood and carefully placed it into the rack on the bench. Her hands shook as she extracted the next tube and carefully labeled it: _Unknown female number two._

"Their temperatures are bouncing between one-oh-four and one-oh-six," Chelsea murmured.

"That's usually fatal for humans after a few hours," Lauren said, pleased that her voice was steady. "They should be seizing." She leaned against the counter to steady herself. "We need to do something to get their fevers down. Ice?"

"We can try. At least they'll be more comfortable." Chelsea placed a damp cloth on the forehead of a blonde whose skin was so thin and pale she looked more like a mannequin than a living being. A moment later the door to the treatment room opened and her mate leaned in. "Can you bring us ice?"

Hale nodded, and the door closed.

"But you know," Chelsea said tentatively, "the normal temperature for a Were is several degrees higher than that of a human. Maybe…maybe what we're seeing is just an effect of the transition."

"But we don't get sick, or almost never, and even when we do, our temperatures remain steady." Lauren adjusted the intravenous line carrying fluids and nutrients to the dehydrated, emaciated young female. She wondered if she'd looked like this when her parents had brought her to Chelsea that first night. "Maybe you should check your records—check my history."

"These girls aren't like you," Chelsea said.

"We don't really know that, do we?"

Chelsea lifted the eyelid of the unconscious girl and flicked a penlight back and forth. "You always responded to stimuli. Their central nervous systems are so depressed, even their brainstem functions are nonreactive. I don't think—"

The door swung open and Lauren glanced over, expecting Hale. She froze when Bo strode in. She'd been aching for and dreading this moment. They'd only been apart a little while, but the longer they were separated, the more anxious and agitated she became. Her wolf clawed at her until she was certain her skin must be bleeding. Holding Bo at bay was exhausting, and she was already running on empty. She'd been fighting her heat for the better part of two weeks, and now she was faced with two patients who embodied everything she feared.

Bo took in the two girls on the table with a hot, hard glance. "The Alpha said they had the fever. Is that true?"

Chelsea slipped between Bo and the end of the treatment table, partially shielding the first girl. "We're not sure yet what they have—or what was done to them. We've just begun running tests."

"They're human," Bo said, her growl filled with disdain and distrust. "I can smell it."

"Yes, they are," Chelsea said. "But they smell like Weres too."

"They smell like sick animals, not wolf Weres. Sick animals ought to be put down." Bo snarled, her wolf demanding action. These humans, these sick, dangerous humans, could harm Lauren, and she could not allow that. "They're going to die, you know that. Why risk yourselves or anyone here when it's pointless?"

Chelsea shook her head. "We don't know that. We don't even know what's happening to them yet."

"You know what happens to infected humans," Bo said. "If they don't die, they're feral, or they end up spreading the disease. Either way, they're a danger to us all."

"That's not what happened with Spencer," Lauren said quietly. She wasn't afraid of what Bo might do to her—she'd lived with the possibility of what might have to be done all her life. But severing the connection to Bo was going to destroy her as surely as an execution.

"Spencer is different," Bo said, her wolf close to breaking through her control. Her face elongated, her claws ripped free, and pelt thickened over her belly. "Spencer had the Alpha's blood, her pheromones, her essence to counteract whatever destruction the virus was doing. These girls—we don't even know what kind of mutants they will become."

Lauren shuddered. Mutant, _mutia_, mongrel, mutt. She knew the terms, and she knew how a proud, dominant Were like Bo viewed anyone who was non-Pack. "If we feel they're contagious or capable of infecting any of the Pack, we'll recommend extermination. But the decision is not up to us. The Alpha will decide."

Bo closed the gap between them in one explosive leap, gripping Lauren's shoulders. "They're not worth it. They're not worth one wolf in this Pack. I'm not going to risk losing you."

"Bo, you have to go." Lauren shuddered. Every fiber of her being yearned for Bo, to join with her.

Bo's eyes flashed wolf-gold and her canines plunged outward. Her voice turned to gravel. "No."

Lauren braced her hands against Bo's chest. "Spencer is normal, she bears the Alpha's young. She may have been infected by a similar virus, and she lived. These girls may survive, and if they do, they may help us learn how to protect ourselves and all our young in the future."

"They won't survive." Bo drew a breath, dragging her wolf back, holding her down.

"There's no evidence they've ever been bitten. Whatever was done to them, it was some kind of medical experiment. They've been tortured, Bo."

"That's not my problem—they're dangerous," Bo said. "They're a risk to others in the Compound. They should be caged."

"They're too weak to be of any harm," Lauren said quietly. "They're patients, not enemies."

"You don't know that. Chelsea just said you don't know _what_ they are. We don't know what they're capable of, what they might transmit. We have young in the Compound." Bo gripped Lauren's arm. All she could see was danger to Lauren. "At least restrain them."

"The nursery is not accessible from this area," Lauren said reasonably, nearly dizzy with the rush of pheromones released by Bo's touch. "When we know something, we'll let the Alpha know."

"The Alpha depends on me to protect the Pack," Bo said, her voice and her eyes hard and unyielding. "You reminded me of that just today. I say they ought to be behind bars. Move them to the prison block."

"We can't right now. They're too unstable. They're unconscious—they can't harm anyone." Lauren ignored the tendrils of fear snaking through her depths. She had known this day would come, but she'd let herself forget. She'd let herself believe, for a few hours, that she and Bo could share what other Weres shared. She'd always known that wasn't possible for her, but for Bo, she'd ignored her own defenses, and now, she was defenseless. But she would not abandon these girls, even if it cost her everything. "You should leave, _Imperator_. This is our job."

"And mine is to protect the Pack." Bo couldn't think beyond the raging of her wolf and the rush of adrenaline warning her of a threat to all she loved. "Mutants do not belong here—how many times do we need to see them turn into mindless beasts before we learn that?"

Chelsea growled. "Bo, mind your—"

"Spencer didn't turn into a beast," Lauren said calmly, beyond worry and fear now. The time for truth was long past. "And neither did I."

Bo jerked. "What?"

"Neither did I, Bo," Lauren repeated, her heart shattering at the flare of wrath rising in Bo's eyes. "I was human once too."

"No," Bo roared. She rounded on Chelsea. "I remember when the Alpha brought her here with her parents. The Lewis' are Weres."

Chelsea shot Lauren a helpless glance.

"My adoptive parents," Lauren said. "They rescued me when the Pack _imperator_ wanted me killed. They sought sanctuary here, and Ashley's mother granted us asylum."

"All this time?" Bo asked, dazed. "All this time and you've never—" She stiffened, fury burning through her disbelief. "Ashley knows, doesn't she?"

"Yes. Bo—" Lauren reached for her and Bo jerked away.

"You don't want to touch me right now," Bo said with deadly emphasis. She pointed at the sick girls. "If I see one of them outside this room, they die."

Bo whipped around and wrenched the door open, nearly tearing it from its hinges.

Lauren pressed a hand to her stomach, wondering how she could still be alive when everything inside her was dying.

* * *

"What kind of assault on the Pack?" Ashley asked Madison, tightening her grip on the back of Spencer's neck. Her mate was on the verge of losing control. "When and where?"

Spencer snarled. "Who? Who is planning to attack us?"

"Well, that's the problem," Madison said quietly, crossing one leg over the other. She extended her arm and stroked the length of Shane's outer thigh. Her _senechal_ stood as if carved from marble, never taking her eyes off Spencer. "I don't know the details, only that something is planned and my assistance was requested."

"To do what?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that either."

"What do you know?" Spencer snapped, breaking away from Ashley and striding over to Madison. She towered over the seated Vampire, staring down at her as anger hardened the planes of her face. "You enjoy playing games, and I'm not in the mood tonight."

"Step back," Shane murmured, her body still as stone.

Ashley rumbled a warning.

Madison merely smiled, tilting her head ever so slightly to glance at Spencer. "I know Ashley has acquired some very powerful enemies in some very high places. Her intention to form an alliance with the human governments is seen as a betrayal of Praeterns."

Ashley said, "That's certainly not the opinion of the other councilors on the Coalition or the Praeterns they rule. Frank Foster is the leader of one of your most powerful Clans, and he supports both the Praetern union and the goals of the Coalition."

"Frank is a businessman before all else," Madison said with a shrug. "His primary investments are in the military-industrial complex, so of course he will ally himself with the human governments that provide so much of his business."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ashley asked. Madison never did anything that didn't ultimately benefit her. "Why ally with me if you don't agree with me?"

"Ashley," Madison said, sounding hurt. "You know I've always supported the King High Pack, and I'm so very fond of you."

Spencer snarled.

Shane slid in front of Madison, nearly touching Spencer. "You would do well not to threaten the Viceregal."

Ashley bounded forward, landing between them, forcing Shane to back up. "Threaten her again and I'll tear you apart."

Shane smiled. "I welcome your attempt."

"It's all right, darling." Madison gripped Shane's hand. "Ordinarily I love a fight—especially when it's over me—but now might not be the time. Spencer—forgive me, the Prima—is just marking her territory."

Ashley sent Shane another warning glare and slung an arm around Spencer's waist. She wasn't about to let her mate fight, but she wouldn't stop her from stating her claim either.

"You still haven't answered my question," Ashley said. "Why are you telling us?"

"I was hoping if you realized how unpopular your position has become, you'd rethink it."

"And if I change my mind, what exactly would you and your…allies like me to do?"

"Ultimately, we'd like to see the Coalition disbanded," Madison said. "We believe the cost of civil integration is too high and unnecessary. What we seek is sovereignty, the right to govern ourselves, separate from human law."

"You want to live among humans but not be subject to human law?"

"We already are, darling—we have been for millennia."

"The humans are not likely to accept that," Ashley said. "And until human law recognizes us, humans will not be dissuaded from attempting to exterminate us."

"If we have our own army," Madison said softly, "they won't dare."

"You would go to war rather than negotiate?"

Madison lifted a shoulder. "Some very powerful individuals would prefer just that."

"Who?" Spencer demanded. "Who came to you?"

"I hear a great many things from a great many sources," Madison said. "What matters is Praetern unity—together we are strongest."

"Unity," Spencer said coldly. "Is that what you call sending your enforcer to help human monsters torture Weres in a secret lab?"

Madison shook her head. "And this is why we need to work together. Shane wasn't in that lab to harm anyone. When we heard rumors of its existence, naturally we wanted to learn more. If you hadn't freed them, we would of course have notified you."

"Of course," Spencer said.

Madison rose and Shane stepped to her side. "I've come out of respect for our ancient alliances and to affirm our new ones. Please consider where your true loyalty lies, Ashley, before it's too late."

Spencer wrapped her arm around Ashley's waist and watched the Viceregal sweep from the room. "The next time she touches you, I'm going to tear her arm off."

Ashley caressed Spencer's neck. "She is very old and very powerful."

"I don't care. She might have enjoyed you once, but now you're mine."

"Yes," Ashley whispered, backing Spencer against the desk. She scraped her canines down Spencer's throat, then licked her way back up until she reached her mouth. She kissed her, sucking the sweet tang of Spencer's pheromones from her tongue. She'd been waiting since they'd escaped the burning forest to taste her. "I'm your—"

The doors banged open and Bo lunged into the room, her eyes wild. "You knew! You knew and you let her live like that! What kind of Alpha are you?"

Ashley leapt before Bo could issue challenge. She caught Bo by the throat and took her down, clamping her thighs around Bo's hips and her hand on Bo's throat. "Another word and I'll kill you."


End file.
